[ianl]

Hi, last year, I built a fruit cage 18' x 10'. I planted a row of six autumn and six summer raspberries in the centre running lengthways. Neither did particularly well! Between the autumn raspberries and the edge of the fruit cage, there is a 3' gap where I would like to plant some strawberries. I would contain the strawberries on a membrane and small walls. My question is if this is possible? I dont know how rasberries grow, runner wise. would I be right in thinking that the autumn ones dont spread as much. Please help!

[DD.]

I started with a few Autumn Bliss twigs, given to me a a fellow plot holder. They are now a 32' x 6' hedge - so yes they do spread - more so than the summer ones, I find.

You may get away with it for a year, but that'll about be it.

[JayG]

If someone told my Autumn Bliss to keep themselves nice and compact they weren't listening!

They produce suckers from the roots and each sucker then produces new roots and hence new suckers so if you don't dig them out immediately you can get new plants appearing 6 feet or more away from the original parents.

I don't have space to waste and in the confines of a fruit cage neither do you if you want to grow strawberries close by - a couple of years ago I inserted a vertical barrier of spare pond liner to a depth of about 18" about 18" away from the raspberry row which has so far successfully held them back (corrugated plastic sheet or similar would also work and might be easier to work with.)

[ianl]

Thank you both for your quick replies. I had a feeling that they grew vigourisly! You wouldn't think it from those little sticks. I think that I will use the space for salad bits and pieces and grow the strawberries elsewhere.

[angelavdavis]

I would also recommend splitting the summer and autumn raspberries into different beds if you have room spare so you don't get confused when they need pruning!  Once the autumn spread after a couple of years - you will have trouble separating them, believe me - I speak from experience!!!

I use the forest planting method with gooseberries, red/white and black currants, underplanted with strawberries and because the main bushes don't spread in the same way as raspberries, this works well.  All the plants are south facing, so the main bushes don't cast much shade on the strawberries and I pot up the runners into small pots.

[ianl]

Hi, I'm still confused on how raspberries can grow into a hedge. I thought that they had to be pruned down to the ground yearly. At least the Autumn ones.

[JayG]

Hi, I'm still confused on how raspberries can grow into a hedge. I thought that they had to be pruned down to the ground yearly. At least the Autumn ones.

They do (it's an "annual" hedge!) 

[DD.]

The do need pruning. But they have spread 3' either side of where they were originally planted and the row is that wide when it pops up in spring.

It takes some effort to keep it down to that as well, and none of the neighbours want any more canes!

[sunshineband]

I have to say that both my summer and autumn raspberries (in separate areas of the fruit cage) have very generously populated the edge of next door's lot with some rathe decent canes now 

[ianl]

Yes , now I understand Thank you all for your responses.