Making a raised bed for my soft fruit - soil advice please

[Beadgarden]

Hello,

I am currently building some raised beds in my new veggie garden and would love some advice when it comes to my soft fruit.

I have 3 blueberries, which I have in pots of ericaceous compost and I have had them for 2 years. I have some new raspberry canes and 2 new redcurrents - all in pots at the moment.

What I would like is to plant all of this soft fruit together in one 8'x4' raised bed.

Can I mix in some ericaceous compost with the rest of the top soil? or will the blueberries need total ericaceous compost ? Can you turn normal topsoil into ericaceous compost ? What about the other fruit, will they like it?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Abigail

[SimonCole]

Blueberries like it very acid (pH 4.5-5.5) and a bit waterlogged, so you cannot mix them I'm afraid. It is impossible to remove enough of the calcium from normal soil with sulphur or other treatments because it destroys the soil structure, like a cake that has been sat on.
The best thing is by far to keep in a pot with a dish of water below and water with soft water. Though you can import acid soil.

The other fruit should be fine with the soil you've got.

[Beadgarden]

Thank you so much, you have probably just saved me a fortune on compost and additives, etc.

I will keep the blueberries in pots and plant out the other fruit, I may even be able to fit in more raspberries, even better.

Thanks again,

Abi

[areia]

agree with simoncole blueberries best left in a pot raspberries and blackberries pretty much grow anywhere i've found run everywhere if you dont keep them in check redcurrents and black i've always dug the area for the plant well and planted in with compost, they have been happy so far,