Boyne

Quick Facts

• Type: Summer-bearing red raspberry
• Season: Early-season
• Flavor: Medium-sweet, aromatic, among the best-flavored summer reds
• Berry: Deep-red, medium-sized berries with moderate firmness and excellent freezing quality
• Plant habit: Very hardy, productive canes that perform where other varieties suffer winter injury
• Best for: Northern climates needing reliable early raspberries for freezing, jam, and fresh use
• Hardiness & disease: Extremely winter hardy; suited to sites where cane injury is common on less-hardy varieties

Released in 1960, Boyne is a classic early-season red raspberry known for its exceptional winter hardiness and reliable performance in cold regions. Plants produce deep-red, medium-sized berries with a medium-sweet, aromatic flavor that many growers rank among the best of the summer reds. The fruit is excellent for freezing and jam while still being flavorful enough for fresh eating right out of the patch.

Boyne thrives where many other raspberries struggle, often succeeding in sites that cause winter damage to less-hardy canes. Its combination of hardiness, dependable yields, and rich flavor makes it a natural fit for northern plantings and homesteads that want a rock-solid early crop. For growers comparing varieties like Killarney and other hardy reds, Boyne remains a benchmark for flavor and cold tolerance.

For spacing recommendations and plant counts, see our Raspberry Spacing & Planting Guide before planting.