[LewisNoah]

Just moved and inheritated a raspberry cage - so happy - just need some advice on what to do with them.  They've been neglected for over 6 months till we moved in in June.  Also now got a veggi patch which we have cleared part of and had a succesfull crop of beetroot's the size of melons and loads of gherkins and sweetcorn's looking fab.  Still not entirely sure what to do with the veggi patch, think it was well looked after before but then left what do we do with it to maximise production for next year???

[Yorkie]

Welcome to the site  

Do you know when the raspberries fruited?  The pruning regime differs according to whether they are summer or autumn ones.

Re maximising production, do your planning over winter.  Decide on where you want any other permanent planting, any paths, and how many beds for rotation purposes.

Make sure you don't let weeds establish on cleared bits - should be OK over winter but they will quickly get going in the spring.  Use cardboard or weed fabric (not carpet).

If the plot has been well tended in the past then I wouldn't worry too much about needing to improve it with fertilisers or organic matter if you don't have access to these.

The main thing is to decide what you want to eat, and then where you want to it grow.  Enjoy!

[LewisNoah]

Thanks for the advice, we did have some fruit this summer, June time but not a huge amount I'm thinking this is cause they weren't cut down last year?? 
Def need to sit down and decide what we want out of the patch - have already noted that unless you want to produce a ton of gherkins then you don't need to plant 5!! LOL  We seem to have lots of marigolds slowly making there way across the patch now we've cleared it, is this good?  Also thinking of poly tunnels - have you used one??
Having visions of a circular patch with paths to the middle but think I may be getting ahead of myself 

Thanks again

[SG6]

If they didn't fruit greatly then I guess the simple answer is to prune them down to the ground to encourage new growth. Means you may not get anything next year.

Assuming that you don't then they are probably summer raspberries.

May seem drastic but is really the same as if you bought a load and planted, first year they grow, second year they fruit.

Another option is to pick through the stems/canes and prune out anything that is "old". Probably most of what is there. Don't worry it is pretty easy to work out old and new.

That means that what is new now will hopefully fruit next year and the old material is removed allowing new canes to come up.

Wear gloves as the small spines can be annoying after a while.

As to the patch, if it has been left for a time, couple of years, then you probably just have to dig it and weed it. Guessing that the soil isn't extreme - clay/sand. Oddly just about anything incorporates a fair degree of digging.

[LewisNoah]

OK will do, was wondering if we were going to have to be that drastic but it'll be worth it in the end. Thanks again for advice