Raspberry's

[middlefield]

I've just bought a selection of canes from mirrorgardening and would like some advice to get them going.

We've got an area of the allotment ready for them, its been completely weeded and all the perennials removed, a hard paved area either side of it and its been well-dug and manured.

I'm expecting the canes within the next couple of weeks, I've got Glen Cova, Maling Jewel and Zeva (which are early, mid and autumn fruiting I believe).

Can I plant the canes immediately?
Will they require support?
Do I need to add/do anything else to the soil?

Any raspberry advice would be appreciated

[veg4681]

Sorry not a raspberry expert but have also just bought them myself though all in the pots as my bed isn't ready yet . The planting instructions on the packagaing say you should plant as soon as possible but avoid doing this during severe frost. A good general purpose fertiliser like bonemeal is also recommended to add to soil of the prepared bed. You'll be fine. I think yours will come with planting instructions too.

[Hans Mum]

as long as its not frozen ground get them in as soon as you get them youve done all the preperation, they will need support to tie in, wont be a massive crop rhis year but they'll be delicious

[gojiberry]

Ive planted raspberries in the last couple of days. one or two had started shooting and as it is frosty I put a pop bottle over the top. Checked them today and they look fine. Don't know what sort of roots are on yours, jast remember they are shallow rooted plants and if the have long fiberous roots on dont try and bury them straight down try and spread them out and 4/5 inches deep. Always water them in but try to do the watering in the morning after the soil has defrosted.

[deadwood]

Glen Cova, Maling Jewel and Zeva (which are early, mid and autumn fruiting I believe).

Glen Cova, Maling Jewel are summer fruiting varieties and need different treatment to Zeva.

Summer fruiting varieties fruit on last years growth, so you let the cane grow this year, leave it alone, and next year it will fruit, after that you can cut that particular cane back but not the cane that will have grown next year, next years growth is the following years fruiting cane. In effect a summer fruiting raspberry has two years growth on it and you need to know which is which. Not as difficult as it is to explain as it is fairly which is old and new growth.

Autumn raspberries fruit on this years cane. Let it grow, it will fruit and you simply cut it to ground level at the start of winter. Much easier.

Separate the varieties out as you will have to treat them different.

[TonyF]

I moved my raspberries last year (back end) to raised beds, hopefully organised on a fruiting time of year basis. I had a lot of rooted runners which I moved at the same time and they're all sprouting and going green now - best advice is that the raspberries think it's time to be starting to kick back into life so plant them out asap, if possible I'd loosely pack some mulch round the soil at the bottom of the plants just in case.