Raspberries

cousdude · « **on:** November 03, 2008, 08:59 »

Plan to plant some raspberry canes, and i've seen that you give them support by wires strung between two posts.

Rather than buy more expensive fence posts, might a bamboo wigwam with string at various heights work aswell?

agapanthus · « **Reply #1 on:** November 03, 2008, 09:27 »

I'm not sure that bamboo will stand the weight Dude.....they get quite heavy with all the foliage and (hopefully) lots of fruit. It would be more cost effective to get some posts... raspberries can be left in the same ground for many, many years. Perhaps you could try freecycle or have a word with a site foreman on a building site....they always have loads of wood/pallets that they get shot of.

Trillium · « **Reply #2 on:** November 03, 2008, 18:15 »

Agree with Aggy, raspberries can get so heavy that they'll take down a teepee quite easily. With the posts, you even need to secure it well with wire at the ends so that the posts don't start leaning towards the raspberry patch.
If you're talking only a few plants, then you can do the cane idea, but more than a dozen needs strength.

noshed · « **Reply #3 on:** November 03, 2008, 22:22 »

I bought a couple of treated fence posts and used bits of pallets for the T pieces. Cost £6.

Browser · « **Reply #4 on:** November 05, 2008, 20:24 »

It's our first year of growing, well, anything, so myself and Mrs Browser know virtually nowt, but we inherited three rows of rasberry plants with our allotment. two of them have produced pounds of fruit with no wire support whatsoever, the only apparrent ill effect being the odd heavily-laden stem drooping to almost ground level.
Do the wires prevent damage to the pklants, or help ripening, or it is just to prevent, ahem, droop?

agapanthus · « **Reply #5 on:** November 05, 2008, 22:16 »

They give them stability and it saves wasting a lot of room. It's easier to pick the fruit too!!!

Browser · « **Reply #6 on:** November 06, 2008, 01:10 »

OK, that makes a lot of sense, thanks for the explanation

Looks like I'd better get me chippies hat on and make some support frames.
FOr anyone thinking of growing rasps, Dr D.G. Hessayon's book The Fruit Expert has a nice detailed and dimensioned drawing of a raspberry support frame in it.

Raspberries

Trillium