[Judd]

Hi,
I'd like to put in some Raspberries and Tayberries.
Is it the right time to get them?
I've read the Tayberries need something to grow up,I've got Harris fencing running north to south up one side of my allotment.Would this do for them?
Do the raspberries also need something to grow up?

[New shoot]

Hi Judd

Now is a great time to buy both.  Raspberries come as canes bundled together - bare-root if you get them mail order or shoved into a pot of compost if you go to the garden centre.  Either way, split them up before planting.  Tayberries can come either way as well, but you only need one as they grow very big.

Summer fruiting raspberries and tayberries need their stems tied into a support.  You prune out the canes that fruited that year and tie in the new ones to fruit the next year.  Autumn fruiting rapsberries grow more like a hedge and are cut down to almost soil level each year.  Usually people put up a post either side of the row and run wires between them just to contain them a bit.

Soft fruit is dead easy and you get loads so plant as much as you have room for 

[bazh]

Your harris fencing will be perfect for the tayberries.

If you buy bare roots raspeberry canes just give them a good soaking over night in a bucket of water they can lose moisture quite quickly, just make sure the ground is prepared properly get rid of the weeds as they can be difficult to weed once established and plenty of compost or well rotted manure in the area there going in.

[Judd]

What are best,summer or autumn fruiting and when should I expect to get any fruit off them?

[New shoot]

I only grow Autumn Bliss, but can highly recommend them.  You should get a few this year if you plant now, but in the following years you will get more and more    

They grow into a thick hedge each year from cutting back to nothing each February and give massive sweet fruits from July/August into the autumn. When you look at the piddly little punnets the supermarkets offer for silly money you will be smug as a bug  

[bazh]

What are best,summer or autumn fruiting and when should I expect to get any fruit off them?

Can't say which are best but I only grow Autumn ones, autumn bliss and Zeva the flavour of the zeva is better (more to my taste) but the autumn bliss are more prolific fruiting.

Expect fruit off Autumn canes next year if you get them in this winter, and the year after next for summer fruiting.

[Judd]

Thank you,I'll see if I can get some tomorrow :blink:
How many plants would you recommend?
I've got about 60' of fence to play with

[gobs]

At least a foot apart. Rasberry, that is, tayberry needs all that to itself, most likely.

[Judd]

I take it Tayberries grow quite large !
Maybe a dozen Rasps and one Tayberry then,does that sound about right?

[gobs]

I take it Tayberries grow quite large !
Maybe a dozen Rasps and one Tayberry then,does that sound about right?

Yes.

I'm greedy and thrifty. I'd go about 10-12 summer and 10-12 autumn raspberries and a tayberry there. (Cut to room to fit.)

It needs yearly maintaining though, all are rampant.

[Judd]

2 dozen rasperry bushes! Won't they grow more fruit than I could possibly use?

[gobs]

2 dozen rasperry bushes! Won't they grow more fruit than I could possibly use?

Icecream maker. £20. :blink:

[Judd]

I like the way your mind works Gobs  :blink:

[Judd]

Another daft question!
Will I need to leave a space between the rasps and the Harris fencing?

[gobs]

Another daft question!
Will I need to leave a space between the rasps and the Harris fencing?

Yes. you want to be able to get in for utility purposes(tidying, picking)