[matt80]

Hi all,

I'm looking to plant some new raspberry canes using the post-and-wire system. Can anyone suggest where I can source some suitably tall posts? I'm reluctant to head to B&Q etc as I'm likely to spend quite a bit of money going that route... any suggestions on where I can source some at a more reasonable price?

[savbo]

i got 8' tanalised square posts for about £4-5 each I think from local timber merchant. round section are even cheaper but more difficult to track down...must be some agricultural/forestry suppliers near Sherwood Forest?

M

[arugula]

You can get fencing stobs in an 8 foot length, I would have thought that should be long enough once hammered in to the ground? Try your local fencing material supplier, builders merchant or agri. supplier.



Snap!

[Paul Plots]

Not sure where from but had you thought of using hefty old galvanised water pipe?

Perhaps a demolition site or from house referbishment - scrap metal yard?
Just a thought.

Once you've got them they last for years.

[totalnovice]

I got the wood for my rapberry posts off freecycle. you could try looking there, or keep an eye open for skips in the area (just remember to ask before you take anything) Or if you are on an allotment site you could try putting a 'Wanted' notice on the board. I often find people have bits of old timber that they don't always want/use. and you could get it cheaper than a DIY place.

[JayG]

I used angle iron for mine; have you got a scrapyard or metal recycling yard in your area?
I think mine was probably an old-fashioned bedstead frame originally so i didn't even have to drill any holes for the wires! 

Needs to be hammered in about 18" but it's probably easier than wooden posts if your soil is shallow, stony or clay.

[8doubles]

Not sure where from but had you thought of using hefty old galvanised water pipe?

Perhaps a demolition site or from house referbishment - scrap metal yard?
Just a thought.

Once you've got them they last for years.

Old steel water pipe is what i use. Cut it and pre-drill it ready for the wires. Easy to bang in and fairly easy to move as the raspberry canes extend their territories.

[Paul Plots]

Not sure where from but had you thought of using hefty old galvanised water pipe?

Perhaps a demolition site or from house referbishment - scrap metal yard?
Just a thought.

Once you've got them they last for years.

Old steel water pipe is what i use. Cut it and pre-drill it ready for the wires. Easy to bang in and fairly easy to move as the raspberry canes extend their territories.

All we need now is a good supply of sturdy old pipe before everyone else cottons on and it becomes another gold dust item on the allotment list! 

[Godhelm]

I realise this is an old post, but I wanted to ask about whether banging 8ft round posts into the ground by 2ft (so 6ft remains above ground) would be sufficiently secure to tighten wires for raspberry supports? My soil is fairly light/sandy, and I don't want to find the posts leaning inwards under the tension of the wires. Should I add some sort of diagonal bracing?

[JayG]

It partly depends on the distance between the posts - the further apart they are the tighter you have to string them to avoid sagging, and the greater the chance of the posts leaning inwards.

My soil is sandy, so I set angle iron uprights in concrete to make sure they didn't move, but they are 12' apart with just a plastic cane as an intermediate support.

You may well get away with it with hefty posts and a distance of about 6' between them - you could add a horizontal batten across the top of them if necessary, which is probably easier than diagonal bracing which could also potentially get in the way of the plants.

[Godhelm]

Diagram attached - some of the posts will be quite far apart, so I might need to think about having some further posts or support in between. I don't think I can go down the route of using concrete at the allotment site.

[Trillium]

I have pressure treated posts for my row ends, and some galvanized pipes I was given for the middle areas. It's highly recommended that the stronger end posts be hammered in at an outward angle for better pressure resistance from the wires. Centre posts can be pure vertical.

The finished height doesn't need to be above 6 ft since the idea of tying in the canes is to keep them under control and at good picking height, which would be around 4-5 ft on average. You can tip prune cane ends to make them bush out more and produce on those.

[Godhelm]

Thanks for the response. Also checked the RHS site which suggests 8ft x 3" posts hammered in to a depth of 30" and set 5m apart (mixing measurements a bit!). Guess I can give it a go and add supports in the middle if sagging is a problem. Makes sense to me to angle the posts outwards a little with the expectation that tensioning the wires will pull them in a bit.