[rogertb]

I inherited a Raspberry bed (it was dry sticks of course), left it for one season to see what was there and I'm not very interested so now need to clear it ... anyone any advice please ? I guess it's a few weeks of back breaking digging, someone suggested cutting it to ground level and covering with a tarp'.

Anybody any experience please ?

Roger

[JayG]

A tarp might work, but if it's not big enough you might find the rasps take the opportunity to shoot up beyond it, and the stumps and roots of a very old raspberry plant would probably take a long time to rot down.

Most of the roots are fairly shallow, so you might not find digging them out quite as backbreaking as you think - you could find that new plants appear from any roots you leave behind, although they should pull out fairly easily (depending on your soil type.)

[Lardman]

As jayg said, raspberry roots are really wimpy and close to the surface but they run about everywhere. Best to just get a fork under them main clumps loosen things up and give them a good tug, just make sure you have gloves on. 

[rowlandwells]

I moved our Raspberry bed last year and there was no easy option than to dig all the old canes out and  after removing the old canes I then I dug and rotavated the ground for some early potatoes


took my time digging out the old canes basically little and often 

[andreadon]

Please may I jump in on this instead of starting a new one?

My raspberries are really spreaded out.
I want to keep them but I want them in a nicer and neater section.
If I dig out the wayward ones, is it possible to put them back in the ground that's closer to the bunch?

I've never transplanted rasps before and I don't know if it's possible.

[andreadon]

Also, what's good to put in the soil they've been in?

[AnneB]

Please may I jump in on this instead of starting a new one?

My raspberries are really spreaded out.
I want to keep them but I want them in a nicer and neater section.
If I dig out the wayward ones, is it possible to put them back in the ground that's closer to the bunch?

I've never transplanted rasps before and I don't know if it's possible.

Yes we moved some last year, in early October.  I think you can do it now before it gets too cold, or leave it to March/April next year.  I do find raspberries aren't nice neat plants, they spread quite easily.  We have tried to control this by planting them in a bed surrounded by bricks, but we shall see.

[Lardman]

I do find raspberries aren't nice neat plants, they spread quite easily.  We have tried to control this by planting them in a bed surrounded by bricks, but we shall see.

You're not wrong - I have explained to mine on several occasions they need to remain in the 20x3' space I have allocated, they wont listen.  I pinned them in with some 18" slabs set vertically but they still refused to listen. Anything appearing now is subject to the Marie Antoinette policy of weeding - "off with their heads". 

[rogertb]

Thanks again one and all - I'll get digging then, they do seem fairly easy to dig out but I was concerned about what's left behind shooting up again, I guess as 'Lardman' suggests decapitation as they poke their heads out is the answer.

[Stewarty]

My autumn raspberries had spread themselves out to a 10 metre by 4 metre patch, colonising my proposed courgette patch along the way. Obviously I'm a slow learner, as on another plot some 10 years ago I was silly enough to let them trample all over my precious asparagus bed. However, this time I made short use of them with my most useful and most used tool  -  my Azada. It's like a heavy mattock, and easily carves out raspberry roots, bramble roots, and so on.
The whole area has now been sown with Hungarian grazing rye green manure, and probably next spring will become a bean row and courgette patch....

[sunshineband]

Thanks again one and all - I'll get digging then, they do seem fairly easy to dig out but I was concerned about what's left behind shooting up again, I guess as 'Lardman' suggests decapitation as they poke their heads out is the answer.

I thought we had removed our old Summer raspberry patch, and indeed that section of ground was free of them... but …. there were shoots came up all over the place, several feet from the original bed, obviously from underground runners that had been broken off when digging up the main plants. A real nuisance and I am still trying to get rid of them 

I fouy see one, deal with it, don't let it get a foot hold... wise after the event here!