Raspberry Care

[Alison]

Some of the autumnn ones aren't meant to need support but if you don't give them some then they take up a hell of a lot of room and are a nightmare to pick as you can't get along the row. What you don't need though is the same extent of permanent framework which you require for summer berries as you cut them all down at the end of the winter.

[martini]

Thanks for that Alison -I'm thinking of planting about 6 Joan J so I will give them some support - don't want them going mad.

[Mrs Dobby]

Just wondering Mrs D

1) Have you got posts and wires for support
2) If so, what height & section are your posts and what spacings are wires
3) How did you tighten wires
4) What were distances between posts
5) What width of bed have you allowed each side
6) What orientation are yours ie South/North ?

Because there is no boundary path on the side I would like to put rasps, I think to loose a 5'0" band down my allotment length may be too much to bear considering it is only 15'0" wide to start with.
I can afford to use a 4'0" X 15'0" bed but it will run East/West. I think I will probably get one row either side of post and wires ran centrally along bed. Shade could be a problem doing it this way as well.
Just brainstorming at moment (My head hurts!!) so any ideas /critcisms would be welcome!

Hi Snadger, sorry about the lateness of reply, been off poorly and not been online I'm afraid!

To answer your q's,
1) Yes, we got the 2.4m by 60mm round posts from B&Q for £2.99 each, bought 6 and have used 5.
2) We've sunk them about 20" into the soil, so they stand about 6' tall, or thereabouts. Firmed them in with a few bricks and heeled in the earth around them, seem fairly sturdy too! Spacing is about 8' between posts, and we've 3 wires running along either side, 1 at about 2', another at 3 1/2' and the last at about 5'.
3) Stapled a double run of wire around each post, kind of like the first example in Nicks pic! The end post was braced against the metal fence at the outside edge of the allotment with a single run of wire, it pulls the rest fairly tight, but the actual wires are not overly tight, just enough that they will support the canes growing between them without sagging too much!
4) Roughly about 8' or so, we could have gone a bit further, but I'd rather be cautios and build it overstrong!
5)The whole width of planting is about 4', with a 2' paths to the outer(Northern) side, this minimises competition for the roots and also prevents too much of a shade issue to our next door plotholder! The other side also has a path, approx 18" beyond which are our new strawberry beds! The whole area from path through to beds has been covered with weed control fabric and mulched with bark (I believe rasps and strawbs like acidic conditions, so pine bark is whats been used) to help control weeds, look good and to help prevent slug damage, I hope!
6) They are running along the alignment of our plot, roughly NW/SE, not by choice, but because that was the only available area of the plot and thats how the plot is aligned. Fortunately it also means the fedge is into wind, as our predominant wind seems to come from the NW, so should help minimise the wind damage to it all!

As to worrying about losing a 5' band along your plot, one single run of rasps could be planted with a path running alongside in about 3' if you spaced it carefully, so it doesnt have to be 5'! As to running EW, ok the plants to the north could possibly be a little in shade, but most plants will try and find their own way to the light, so I wouldnt worry too much, what we've done is to plant the autumn fruiting to the north and the summer fruiting to the south, that way we can cut back the summer fruiting canes when they've finished and let the autumn fruiting ones get the light, if that makes any sense?

Hope this has been of some help!

Rather than loose width I would put a row in to divide the plot up Snadger. If you grow them up a double row of wires you can tie in twice as many canes in the same space. I think I've posted the piccy before but here it is again

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As to tightening the wires thats an art in it's self and is awkward to explain I'll think about that one

I'd be interested in seeing / hearing that too Nick!

[Snadger]

Thanks for taking the time to elaborate Mrs D!

Still decisions, decisions this end I'm afraid?

Maybe I'll take a leaf out of Nics book i,e go to the lottie,..... make a brew,...... have a think,.......have a crack with a few allotmenteers,...... have another brew.......Then do a bit more thinking!..over a brew of course

[Mrs Dobby]

Thanks for taking the time to elaborate Mrs D!

Still decisions, decisions this end I'm afraid?

Maybe I'll take a leaf out of Nics book i,e go to the lottie,..... make a brew,...... have a think,.......have a crack with a few allotmenteers,...... have another brew.......Then do a bit more thinking!..over a brew of course

Your quite welcome Snadger!

Like the idea of the brew and thinking myself, cant go wrong with a good brew to get the grey matter working!

[HappyMouffe]

Your quite welcome Snadger!

Like the idea of the brew and thinking myself, cant go wrong with a good brew to get the grey matter working!

I met a chap at the lottie on Sunday, who'd definitely got the right idea - plastic table & chairs set up in his mini-orchard, sipping tea in the November afternoon sunshine

[angie loves veg]

mmm........ to carry on a theme, my five 'autumn bliss' plants (still cropping mightily) have been sending out runners in all directions.... is now the best time to dig these wayward runners up to replant them? and should I cut these (newly planted runners) to the ground in feb like to fruited canes, or just to 6" or so?

[Mrs Dobby]

Piccies

Finally managed to get a couple of piccies of our 'Fedge' to post in here, I thought some may like to have a look, especially Snadger, hope they are of help!

[running_muttley]

Thats very useful thank you.

[Snadger]

Finally managed to get a couple of piccies of our 'Fedge' to post in here, I thought some may like to have a look, especially Snadger, hope they are of help!

Nice one!........... Meant to get my posts in last weekend (scrounged some 4" x 2") but it was absolutely bitter, and my gammy arm from my pear tree fall didn't help!
Taking tomorrow of work to do it as I've had a word with the big guy in the sky and he's promised me reasonable weather!

If I ever get it done, I'll try and post(sic) some piccies!

[Mrs Dobby]

Good stuff Snadger, I will look forwards to seeing some pics when you get it all done!

Thanks for the comment RM, I 'm glad you found it useful, its a bit rough n ready, but that fits in well with the rest of the plot anyhows, just have to wait and see how successful it is next year!

[roitelet]

Hi Snadger,

Iv'e just put up the posts and wire for the raspberries. I did it much like Mrs.D and to tighten the wire I drilled a hole in the posts just the size of the wire. (French telecom kindly left me a big roll). Threaded the wire through it and then down through two staples and up through the bottom one. At one end I fixed the wire which enabled me to pull the wire through the hole in the second post and down through the two staples. Using pliers I was able to pull the wire tight and hold it in place by hitting in the bottom staple, then thread the wire up through the top staple and drive it home. I statred with the top wire and worked downwards. The posts were braced on the inside so that the wires didn't pull them over. Much to my suprise it worked

Sorry I can't post a picture I'm not a clever as NTG Best of luck

[Mrs Dobby]

Finally had some good weather today, (well, not torrential rain, cold, breezy and bright with occassional showers) which meant we've both been down to the plot and finally managed to finish moving the Strawbs!

In total we've somewhere in the region of 230 separate plants, planted alongside either side of the fedge and in a large bed to the southern side of it, and we've mulched underneath with bark chippings, in the hopes that this will help suppress the weeds and help prevent some of the slug damage that we suffered this year! Spacing is about 10" between plants, slightly less than ideal, but if it helps prevent weeds then the slight reduction in yield per plant shouldnt be too much of a problem for us, not with that many plants anyhows!

Guess we could be looking at a bumper strawberry harvest next year to go with the rasps, with a little luck anyhows! Methinks lots of smoothies and homemade strawberry yoghurt for breakfast may be in order next year! lol!

[Snadger]

Went down to lottie yesterday armed with camera for some before and after shots of raspberry planting. Took camera out of pocket to find the batteries were flat as I'd sat on it while driving and took 4000 photo's of my butt!!!!
Anyway, managed to get supports in, and all wired up. Eight foot posts buried two foot in ground with strengthening braces. Found out that we have about 18" of topsoil and the subsoil is better than the topsoil on my home garden!
I've went for the inverted vee method with three foot braces at four foot six high and another one foot six inch brace lower down.
Dug out the trench for rasps and added bonemeal, plenty of organic matter in soil so should be ok.
Planted rasp canes and inclined them in alternate directions tied in with little zeus clips.
Left some of the canes long as I would like a partial crop next year

Wallah!! A five metre double row ( excuse the constant swapping between imperial and metric measurements)

Went to lottie today with re-charged camera so here are a few I took earlier!

PS
Forgot to mention, I am very short of space so had to put the rasps where I already had turnips,just pulled the two middle rows out tho, hence the turnips either side which I didn't have the heart to pull out! They will be eaten long before the rasps need the space!

[nick the grief]

Much better than yesterdays foto's I bet