[jsgreen89]

Hey all, I've just got hold of my first allotment and one of main desires is a healthy crop of raspberries and strawberries. I know it's quite late in the spring, but do I stand any chance of getting any raspberries or strawberries if I go and buy some plants now?

From what I understand raspberries benefit from being bedded in for a year, but can I expect anything of a late summer variety?

Strawberries I assume I stand a better chance with?

[Aunt Sally]

Too late for raspberries I'm afraid.  You need to plant them in the dormant period November till March. 

It's also too late for strawberries.  Autumn or spring is best for them too. 

[Goosegirl]

You could buy some first year strawberries in pots and plant them but you would have to pinch out the flowers this year so as to build them up for stronger plants next year. If someone has some spare raspberry runners that are healthy - this is important - then you could always take a risk and transplant them - but keep them well-watered. If they fail, then you've lost nothing. I'd go for it myself.

[Aunt Sally]

The pot grown strawberries would probably be OK.  I've even planted them into a haning basket this time of year and they have done reasonably well.

Raspberries will be in full growth now and may not like being moved but if anyone is giving them away free by all means have a go.  Mulch well, slow release fertiliser and water loads.

[galen]

Last year was my first and I planted my strawberries, Cambridge Favorite, from pots, begining of April and got enough fruit to impress my 4 year old daughter  Weather was bad earlier this year so would most probably not have had much of a chance, or dared to, plant until around about this time this year.

The ones I did plant last year are going great guns, tonnes of leaves and flowers, hope the weather doesn't put paid to the developing berries themselves. 

[jsgreen89]

Is there any disadvantage to planting strawberry or rasberry plants now, in terms of cropping for next year? Or should I wait for for autumn to plant the rasberry, and next spring for the strawberries?

If there's no disadvantage I might as well stick them in the ground now right and see what happens?

[mumofstig]

planting is fine as long as you are not really expecting a great crop from them
and make sure you water them well...if we ever get a summer  

[Aunt Sally]

I wouldn't waste much money on them just now but if someone has some freebies you can have snatch them 

[Jonajo]

this time last year I bought and planted a dozen Autumn Bliss raspberry canes and 40 strawberry plants. Understandably I only got a few strawberries - enough to whet the appetite while down on the plot.

But come very late summer I got a couple of punnets worth of the raspberries each week.