Minimal Care with Great Results! One of the few truly Thornless Raspberry varieties. Many sellers may claim that certain varieties are thornless, when in reality they still have small thorns. Joan J Raspberry plants are totally thornless and the earliest fall fruiting thornless raspberry available. Joan J Raspberries are large firm berries that loaded with flavor and release well for easy picking. Raspberries will start to ripen in August about the same time as Autumn Bliss or Nova, but with higher yields and will continue to ripen until the first frost. With proper pruning techniques it is possible to have a 2 harvests each year from this primocane raspberry variety. Joan J Raspberry Plants won an award from the Royal Horticultural Society Garden in the UK (where it originated) during their 3 year trial beginning in 2005. Their final report showed that Joan J had had the highest yielding average over all other fall bearing raspberry varieties. It was also noted for is easiness to grow for the amateur gardener, and ability to harvest due to plant structure and thornless aspect. Grows in USDA Zones 4-8 and is a great choice for those in Northern states due to it's cold hardiness. Great for fresh eating and freezing. The fruit also holds well due to it's lower moisture content. A great choice for backyard gardens and U-pick farmers. These plants are huge dormant bare root 2 year old plants. This is the size you would see in a garden center in 1-2 gallons containers. They were originally 3+ foot tall, but have been pruned back to promote branching. These canes are State Certified to be Free of virus and disease. Avoid wasting your time, effort, money and garden space by only choosing plants that are certified disease and virus free.