Advice on my fruit plantation !

[Rob the Radish]

Well its not really a plantation,

I have 8 fruit bushes, 3 Raspberry, 1 redcurrant, 1 blackcurrant, 1 loganberry, 1 blackberry and a blueberry.

What i am doing is building a fruit cage on my allotment and have no idea the best way to lay it out.

It will be about13 foot square and at least 6 foot tall, i also wanted to put some strawberries in with them.

Is this area big enough ? and what woud be the best way to space them out ?

Regards, Rob.

[rustylady]

Your blackberry and loganberry will need wires for support and training and should produce very long canes. Blackberry and hybrid berry: pruning and training / Royal Horticultural Society

Spacing and care for red and black currants here Gooseberries, red and white currants / Royal Horticultural Society

Your blueberry needs acid soil, so might be better in a pot with ericaceous compost.

Are your raspberries summer or autumn fruiting? Do you know what varieties they are?

[WendyC]

I think you may want it slightly taller than 6ft depending on your height. Also some raspberries get tall as do the blackberries.

[veggiechicken]

You may also want to consider which side has the most sun and put the taller fruit , or those that don't mind shade on the far side, with the lower bushes on the sunnier side.

[Rob the Radish]

Thanks for the replies but .....Oh bugger,...... i didnt realise they fruited at different times of year, will have a look tomorrow when i go up there, i presume they are autumn but i honestly have no idea really !

Just when i thought i had a plan eh.

I was going to make the cage at least 6 foot for my comfort when inside weeding and picking/pruning.

I was going to put 4 posts and run wires along 3 sides ot the cage about 3 foot in from the edges, to train things to grow up and along, so everything will get some of the direct sun as it moves around, and vice versa some shade as well.

Really looking forward to getting this right as i love fresh fruit and its been a long time coming to get my own fruit cage.

I will try and get a pic tomorrow if weather allows as my explanation is probably a bit half arsed.

Thanks for the link, at least now i know the spacing everything needs to be.

Rob.

[Farmer_Gyles]

loganberries can get very long - mine has lots of canes extending to 12-15 feet - i would suggest you plant them at the back in the middle so you can train them round the outside of the cage

raspberries will be "single" canes of say 6-8 feet tall - they can be supported mostly upright in a row - they tend to spread via roots underground so you could find them shooting up elsewhere
likewise blackberries, although these tend to spread like wildfire - i can't get rid of mine - it comes up all over the garden - i have some canes up to 3in thick!

[Bigmallly]

As mentioned above, Blueberries like acidic soil so in a pot if poss. Also check out the variety as you may need a different one for pollination.

[dominic10]

I inherited a fruit cage where the raspberries had gone absolutely bananas - so they couldn't get at them to pick them. Make sure you have a strong pair of gloves! My cage is about 12 feet square. It has a mature blackcurrant bush which takes up about 4 square feet. I dug up and freecycled loads of raspberries earlier in the year. Strawberries also produce runners - some you can use to make new plants but they can go everywhere. Gardening advice is to cut them off so the plant has more strength to make fruit. I have a separate strawberry bed at home where I can keep them under control. I planted 3 blueberry bushes but it is a battle to stop the rasberries from spreading everywhere. I also use ericaceous compost as a mulch. Good luck with your fruit plantation.

[Rob the Radish]

Thanks for all the replies.

Today i was talking to a nieghbour on the allotment and looked at the raspberries they had, totally out of control and sprouting new shoots everywhere, they admitted they did not cut them back last year, so i now feel i really need to keep on top of them every year to try and avoid this as much as possible.

Big learning curve as i dont even know where to start with pruning fruit ! will worry about that later in the year though.

I am thinking about extending the cage now, instead of 13 foot square i might make it the whole width 28 footx 13 foot, will give me plenty of room to train things and still be able to move around, plus the strawberries will not get buried under evrything.

Just a thought at the mo, dont want to bite off more than i can chew.

Thanks for the advice about the loganberry, it appears it does need a second one to help pollinate it.

The varieties are .....

Raspberries... Glen doll x2
Autumn bliss x1
Blackberry.... Adrienne x1

Blueberry.....Phlox x1

Loganberry....Just says "general" ?? x1

Blackcurrant....Bell lomond x1

Redcurrant...JVT x1

I am starting to think i should have looked into this more before i got them all !!

Will have to make the most of them now, it would not be a problem to plant the blueberry in a huge tub if it does need acid soil.

Rob.

[Bigmallly]

Sorry for appearing thick but I can't work out if Blueberry Phlox is a fruit or a flower.

Proven Winners | Intensia® Blueberry - Phlox hybrid

[veggiechicken]

If its a flower, it'll be a long wait for the fruit and you can skip the special compost

[Bigmallly]

And if attracts butterflies as stated, I don't think you'll be popular on the lottie..........

[donnakebab]

Glen doll fruits to August. FruitBreeding - SCRI Fruit Varieties - Raspberry Glen Doll

Autumn Bliss is autumn cropping. I have some in my garden and we can pick them into October.

Also if you wanted to extend the space in the cage you could consider growing your strawberries under a less permanent net as they don't need the height. Mine are in one of my beds and it's easy to provide protection from birds as and when necessary

[StephenH]

Thoughts of a non-expert:
My 'Autumn Bliss' is rather light-fruiting. I get a much heavier crop from its chance seedling or sport (depending on which account you read), All Gold (also called Fall Gold), though I think you need more than one plant to get a decent amount.
Personally, I wouldn't bother with blackberries, because they're so plentiful in the wild. Use the space for more raspberries!

[dominic10]

Hi RTR - It's a steep learning curve! I only grow Autumn Bliss raspberries as on the South Coast they produce fruit earlier but over a long period. I inherited them - they spread quickly and they fruit on this seasons growth so no wondering which stem flowered last year just cut them down to ground level in mid-winter.