Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Kim Taaffe on January 18, 2011, 14:33
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Hi everyone
This is my first posting so hello. I desperately need some help re raspberries. We want to grow them on our allotment but don't know where to start. When is the best time to plant? What are the best varieties? How do we plant them? Look forward to hearing from you.
Kim
:)
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i can only speak from my experience of growing raspberries we grow autumn bliss they seem a very good cropper although there a late variety and i have moved the crop to another plot they still produced good fruit the second season from moving them
i set my raspberry canes in rows about 4ft or more between the rows and around a foot and half between each plant as i say thats my way some may have other opinions on then i put round knock in wooden post's up the rows with wire so i can tie the canes to the wire when they grow up
i also put horse dung down the rows and let the rain wash it in it also suppresses the weeds although i hoe periodically between each row to keep them clean thats my way and we pick good quality raspberries there are other summer varieties like Glen Ample and Octavia there my choice but there's plenty to choose from hope this helps
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If you have space I would suggest Early, Summer and Autumn varieties to extend the season. If not then concentrate on the season when you most want to enjoy them (I have some Autumn fruiting ones that are very late, and most people are "done with" Raspberries by then - they often don't get picked, but Autumn is will underway when they are ready
10 canes of each variety perhaps?
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HI
Many thanks for the replies so far. We have got a fairly decent plot so I like the suggestion of 3 different varieties.
Any in particular?
Kim
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Have a look here:
http://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk/Raspberry-Canes
Even if you don't buy from there, it'll give you a good idea in terms of times of cropping.
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Many thanks for the replies so far. We have got a fairly decent plot so I like the suggestion of 3 different varieties.
Any in particular?
Well ... I have 10 each of 10 varieties - I bought them as a job-lot on eBay as they are staggered through the season (my only regret being that the late ones are really late)
Not intended to be a recommendation, but they are:
Glen Clova
Glen Ample
Malling Jewel
Admiral
Glen Magna
Leo
Octavia
Tulameen
All Gold (Yellow)
Autumn Bliss
Heritage
I also wouldn't do the yellow ones again. They taste fine, but none of us, nor our visitors, can bring ourselves to treat them with the same respect as the red ones!
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There are two types of Raspberry canes one is Summer fruiting and the other late Summer early Autumn fruiting. In my opinion the autumn fruiting taste far better I say this after sampling both varieties on various plots on our site (with owners permission off course).
I grow Joan J and they are fantastic, really big sweet berries. You can get them in the ground now and they will fruit this year but the 2nd years crop is far better.
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Autumn fruiting (primocanes) are a good one for the beginner to go for. They fruit on the canes thrown up in the spring. Pruning consists of cutting every cane down, so no resal thinking about it.
Summer fruiting (floricanes) fruit on the canes thrown up the previous year. To prune them you hsve to cut out the old canes and leave the new. They require a bit more csre on this front.
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In my opinion the autumn fruiting taste far better
That's as maybe, but if you only grow them you don't have any Raspberries during the Summer :(
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I have 30 canes, 10 of early, summer and autumn croppers, can't remember the names though (although i think zeva is one). They are all great croppers got them from J Parkers a couple of years ago.
I have them in rows about 5 ft apart as I plant winter squash inbetween the rows and clamber over them to pick!
Steve
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Link to RHS Raspberry canes need feeding and watering in the growing season and they also need proper pruning (http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Grow-Your-Own/Fruit-A-to-Z/Raspberries).
Edit to clarify link
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Ask around your site - this time of year people often clear out their rasberry beds and you could get some free canes.
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People on here (and books) mention 4ft, 5ft between rows etc.
Why is the recommended spacing so wide, do the roots spread a lot, are they greedy plants and need plenty of soil to themselves or is it mainly for access purposes.
I'm wanting to have a bed of raspberries in a raised bed that measures 8ft * 5ft and I'm keen to have 9 rows with a foot between each - what difficulties, problems would I have?
Would it be reasonable to alternate the rows, autumn, summer, autumn, summer etc ?
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Raspberries send up suckers which replace the canes that have cropped. With summer raspberries these are tied in to the support or removed if they are too far out of the row. Autumn raspberries are usually left untrained apart from removing any that are too far out of line.
If you plant them close together you will soon have an impenetratable thicket. You will not be able to tell one variety from another and picking (if indeed they fruit in such a confined space) will be impossible.
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I agree. You must be very slim in the first place to get down a 1' wide row. The suckers only have to come out 6" from each row to make the thicket Gillie mentioned. They will easily do that, and need to do so in order to get a decent crop.
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Thanks.
What do you think about 2ft spacing ? I dont need to walk down as I can reach in to the row from the edge of the bed (I think). How many canes in each row of 5ft long would I typically plant, would 3 canes per row be about right ?
e.g.
XXXXX
2ft
XXXXX
2ft
XXXXX
2ft
XXXXX
2ft
XXXXX
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On my last plot I was short of space and left 18 inch gaps between the rows and it just was not enough for me to get down the row.
They really do spread out when in full growth.
Mind you check out my user name and that might help you in your decison :D
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To give you a clue, my "hedge" of Autumn Bliss raspberries is 6' wide.
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From my RHS "Growing Fruit" book
Plant 18" apart. If more than one row space the rows 6' apart (or 5' if using a single-fence-system)
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If you are going to grow summer ones they will need support and tying in. Whereas the autumn ones don't - so they are a lot less work, just the usual mulching, weeding etc. Raspberries do spread like crazy so if you don't want then to I would put them in a raised bed. Autumn Bliss is a great autumn variety and fruits from August right through to the first frosts in October/November. The autumn fruiting varieties produce a steady supply of fruit over a longer period and are less work. However if you want lots of fruit over a short period of time (for jam etc) and you are prepared to invest the time in creating a post and wire system and possibly a fruit cage - to keep the birds off - then the summer ones produce probably twice maybe three times as much fruit a year for the same length of row.
RV Roger will do delivery, here's the link if you want to have a browse:
Here (http://www.rvroger.co.uk/index.php?linksource=stockgroup&webpage=raspberries&listgroupfile=fruitandnuttrees&parentpagefile=opengroundfruit&season=MAIN&caller=Header)
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there seems to be some concerns about the width of rows between each Row i learnt the hard was when i first set my raspberry plot o yes i set them to close your absolutely rite guys width between rows is most important :D
we ended up with what your saying a impenetrable thicket of weeds and nettles in the raspberry plot picking the fruit was difficult and i got an ear bashing when the pickers got stung in the end i had to move the raspberries to another plot they got so unmanageable i made sure the rows where wide enough this time :mad:
i know some of you say there's no need to put post's wires up the rows for autumn bliss but ime going to post and wire the rows this year i think it will make picking easier and i will be able to keep the rows clean weed free and tidy :)
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there seems to be some concerns about the width of rows between each Row i learnt the hard was when i first set my raspberry plot o yes i set them to close your absolutely rite guys width between rows is most important :D
What width between rows did you find ok. 6ft sounds a bit excessive to be, I think Ive even seen 2.5m quoted somewhere!
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Surely this is all getting unnecessarily complicated!
A straight row of new raspberry canes will be about 6" across when planted, which when they grow will take up a couple of feet in width in the first year; if you've got long arms (and possibly gloves!) you only need access from one side to pick them at that point.
In subsequent years the canes will spread as far as you let them, but it's up to you how much space they finish up taking and how much access you need; they're not triffids and there's no rocket science involved here! ;)
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6ft sounds a bit excessive to be, I think Ive even seen 2.5m quoted somewhere!
"Sounds excessive"? or "Is excessive based on your experience"?
You've asked for opinions, and you got some! There are no hard and fast rules in gardening, just experience of things that have worked for other people.
Up to you what you do, but personally speaking I like to try "textbook" first as I hate the time and energy wasted by failure and then the extra effort of having to make-good or put-right. Plenty of people here adopt a "have a go and learn from mistakes" approach though ...
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Width between the rows is important. Summer raspberries fruit quite low down on the canes. You have to bend over to pick them and need somewhere to put your backside.
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Hi beaker141 i set my raspberries at around a meter width the canes where i have to say nearly touching thats why i'me going to post and wire the rows as i said for easier picking and give me a bit of space to work :mellow:
what others do well that's down to them i speak only from experience my garden hero Geoff Hamilton says row widths 1.8 or 6ft in old money that's a quote from his book gardener world :happy:
i hope this help beaker141 good luck :D :D
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There is a strong and clear recommendation from most of you experienced with raspberries that you do need 5 or 6 feet between rows, so that you can walk between rows for picking. Would this still be the recommendation even if only growing 2 rows. Do you need to access both sides of each row.
I am just growing two rows in my garden 12 canes in total ( plus one tayberry). I don;t have space at the moment to grow them in a single row which might be a better long term solution. ( I am eyeing up the space currently occupied by my daughters climbing frame but that won't become available for a couple of years !!)
I'm growing them in half plastic dustbins with plenty drainage holes. One cane per dustbin. These are arranged in two rows touching each other but offset. A bit like this :
%%%%%% ( ignoring lines !)
I was thinking of erecting a frame with 2 rows of wires ( about 18" apart) to tie them in as they go.
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What is the point of the dustbins? Why not just plant them in the soil?
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gillie's rite why not plant them in the soil then put your wire up the rows the advantage of setting the rows 5ft apart is so you can keep them clean and for easier picking as raspberries tend to get overgrown with weeds and then become unmanageable :)
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I don't want them to spread all over the garden, I had a severe bramble problem in the garden when we first moved here. They are next to an uncultivated area of the garden with couch grass, it will be easier to keep the dustbins weed free.
Also I intend moving them when the space comes available.