raspberries help

[kethry]

first posted in another raspberry thread a few days ago but got no answer.. I bought raspberry canes (Glen Ample and Malling Leo), 8 of one and 4 of the other, and the canes are already showing signs of growth. Bed where i want them to go a) isn't ready and b) we're still getting frosts, and instructions say not to plant out when its frosty. I've not got a cold shed i can put them in or anything like that: can i put them in a bucket of compost for now, outside, covered with horticultural fleece to protect them or am i best just leaving them in their packaging inside our flat? They're in a dark (coolish) cupboard at the moment. Oh, and they came from woolworths.

Any advice would be very appreciated!

thanks!

keth
xx

[smallblueplanet]

Heel them in a spare bit of ground, or put them in a pot of compost somewhere cool and light, until you can plant them where you want them.

[Protea]

are they bare rooted or in pots of compost?

If bare rooted do as SBP suggests and heel them in until the bed is ready, i overwindered canes like this a couple of years ago and they were fine.

To heel in dig a V shaped trench deep enough to take the roots, lay the roots of the canes in the trench at an angle (45 degrees at the highest) so the actual canes are leaning towards the ground. Then fill back the trench with the soil and firm in with your 'heel'. Don't put them in too deep - just make sure the roots are covered. You don't have to space them out as you would when you plant them properly, just put them close together.

If they're in pots of compost - put them outside with some fleece around them (particularly if they have been in a warmish shop for a while).

Raspberries on the whole are hardy but frosts will prevent the roots taking hold and they could rot, so this is why you don't want to plant when its frosty. Once they're in the ground properly (not heeled in) they will romp away.

[rustylady]

Raspberries are hardy, so dig a slit trench anywhere you have a little space, and bung them in, it doesn't matter how close together. They will come to no harm, and will be better off in the open than in packaging indoors. When the weather improves and you have the space ready you can put them into their permanent beds.

[kethry]

many thanks guys. I have a spot in the garden that i can heel them into for the time being, so will get them out there. i think they're bare rooted - a little bit of soil in there, but not a lot, and 4 canes to each "bag".. the instructions say to soak overnight before planting them. Should i do that for heeling too?

keth
xx