[ianjmatt]

Hi

Is it safe to plant fruit bushes now (well ... as soon as the snow clears anyway! ), or should I wait?

If I need to wait what is the best way of making sure they don't die in the meantime - should I plant them pots while I wait?

[lacewing]

I would wait until the ground has a chance to dry out a bit. The best way to keep the bushes is what is called  'heeling in' dig a hole big enough to take all the roots, put all the bushes in together and cover the roots with soil, they will be quite safe until you are ready to plant.

[ianjmatt]

So I should unpack them completely, dig a trench at the lottie and put them in there?

Sorry to be asking such basic questions 

[lacewing]

It all depends on how they are packed. If they are bare root it would be best to heel them in, if they have a root ball, i e, packed in soil, then leave them as they are and place in a shed or garage until you are ready to plant.

[ianjmatt]

Righto - I'll check in the morning.

(BTW - they are the fruit bushes rom ALDI - great deal :-))

[scabs]

Hi, my wife picked up the same Aldi bushes for me today and I was going to ask the same question...

I also wanted to ask how many I should get - she got me three packs, each with Raspberry, Blackcurrant and Tayberry (so I have three plants of each); will I need more for a decent crop of each? (I have plenty of room!  )

[out4nowt]

I think you will find 3 Raspberry Canes in each of your 3 packs, total 9.

[scabs]

I think you will find 3 Raspberry Canes in each of your 3 packs, total 9.

So there are, I never noticed! Well, that should do me for Raspberries then, I guess.

Will three of Blackcurrant and Tayberry be enough though?

[Duracell]

can you plant raspberry against a fence or do they need loads of sun, I think I remember reading some place that they need loads of sun.

[Trillium]

Raspberries do prefer full sun. A sunny fenceline would be okay but your neighbours will have both your runners and the berries from that side if its an open-type fence, or you'll have a hard time getting at the berries if its a solid wall fence. Raspbs have very sharp stems so you'll want to consider how much reaching you'll do into the bushes.
You can plant them in a part shade area but your cropping will diminish.

[Duracell]

Raspberries do prefer full sun. A sunny fenceline would be okay but your neighbours will have both your runners and the berries from that side if its an open-type fence, or you'll have a hard time getting at the berries if its a solid wall fence. Raspbs have very sharp stems so you'll want to consider how much reaching you'll do into the bushes.
You can plant them in a part shade area but your cropping will diminish.

Hmm fine points well made. One day I will find some thing permanent and edible to put against that fence!

[Trillium]

Blackcurrants actually seem to like some shade, or that sunny fence. They're not overly fussy and their roots behave. Nor are they prickly when picking  Just give them some annual old manure and a good watering and you'll get bumper crops.

[Duracell]

Blackcurrants, Hmmmm. Thanks for that I will go forth and investigate suitability (hight , clay soil ect)

[Trillium]

Currants don't mind heavy soil so you're okay. You'll need to loosen about a foot of it with some manure and/or compost but that's about it. Currants have shallow rootballs.

[ianjmatt]

Just wondering, as the allotment is still in the process of being reclaimed (thanks to a couple of years of neglect by previous tenant!) I think of this course of action. What do you think?

1. Heel them in in a planter here at home (using a load of organic compost left from last year).

2. Finish digging over and weeding the allotment ASAP

3. Sowing in some compost and fertilizer into the are planned for these.

4. Putting them in in a couple of weeks when this is done.


Does this sound feasible?

I am planning to plant a single row of raspberries with poles every 4 metres or so and then wires every 50cm. Does that sound right?

I'll then do something similar with the tayberries and red gooseberries in a separate row.