[ianl]

Hi, I've just got a new allotment. Luckily it was given to me as bare earth which I have just turned over. I've just received my raspberries in the post and could have done with them delivered friday! My question is how long will they keep in the bag as I dont really want to have to go to the allotment tonight and plant them in the dark!
Also, do I need to add anything to the soil - nutrients etc or shall I let the frost just do it's work? There are plenty of worms.

[JayG]

Assuming your plants are bare-rooted, if they aren't going to get planted until the weekend they would be better off stuffed in a pot with some damp soil or compost to cover the roots (or "heeled in" in the garden if that's a possibility.)

They will hopefully remain where planted for many years so it's worth preparing the soil for them, even though they're not very demanding. Weed-free, free-draining soil with some manure or compost added is what they like, and a bit of fertiliser wouldn't go amiss either to get them off to a good start.

[ianl]

Thanks for that advice. I'll put them in a bucket with some compost tonight.