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  • Raspberry cane / plant buying advice

    Hi,

    I have taken on a new allotment and was looking to grow lots of juicy raspberries this year. I realise that I need to be planting Autumn fruiting raspberries fairly soon if I wish to be able to harvest a crop this year. I am too late to get a crop from Summer fruiting varieties this year.

    First port of call was the local garden centre (Wyevale) and I was horrified to see the canes priced at £9.99 each. Being rather frugal with my money I left empty handed....

    I have subsequently visited some of the local variants of pound stores and was surprised to see various summer fruiting raspberry canes on sale at £1! Wilkos is selling a pack of 3 summer fruiting raspberry canes for £2.50, or a lovely little potted Autumn fruiting raspberry for £2. The latter looked very healthy, but as they only had one pot I didn't purchase it. My local Tesco are also selling a raspberry cane for £2.

    So my question is, are these cheap options a false economy? In your experience do they actually grow, and produce a decent harvest, or are they a waste of money?

    Also is there another reliable option somewhere between the price range of Poundland & Wyevale?

    Many thanks,

    Paul

  • #2
    Personally I've found soft-fruit to be fine from the cheap places - IIRR I got my autumn raspberries from Wilko a few yeats ago and they've been fine.

    If you want to get slightly more exotic raspberries perhaps look at Scottish online suppliers? Haven't used any so can't give you a specific recommendation
    You can potentially prolong your harvest season if you select the varieties...
    sigpic
    1574 gin and tonics please Monica, large ones.

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    • #3
      I would visit a reliable online supplier like Blackm**r Nursery. You could get 10 bare root canes of 'Joan J' for £13.80 + postage.
      He-Pep!

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      • #4
        get some autumn raspberries, I have joan j and polka , and if you chop the fruited canes to the ground in winter, and any unfruited canes tied onto a supporting wire and trimmed to 5-6ft, they will fruit end of june, start of july next year , and just as they finish the chopped down ones will be starting to fruit, so you get fruit from july til the frosts and they tend to have more flavour than the summer ones that I find a bit weak on the taste scale. I have done this "split" crop method for quite a few years now and it works a treat.. and mine were a cheap buy (20), off the net, and I give away about 30 offshoots each year, make sure that you have a barrier in the ground to stop the roots popping up 6-8ft away, mine is 2ft deep and some still get past but just a few..

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        • #5
          You can get them quite cheap off eBay

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          • #6
            Another one for Blackm**r
            Even though they are within driving range for me, the quality of all their stock is second to none and nothing is too much trouble.
            You will not be disappointed.
            Feed the soil, not the plants.
            (helps if you have cluckies)

            Man v Squirrels, pigeons & Ants
            Bob

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            • #7
              i just bought 5 canes of joan J last week from blackmor. Arrived within a few days and very well packed. I would recommend them. I was in the same issue with the garden centres, all expensive and all summer types.

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              • #8
                Have a walk around your site & ask around Paul. It's amazing what you can get off other plot holders. Rasps are the kind of fruit folk give away easily as they grow all over the place.
                Last edited by Bigmallly; 07-03-2017, 04:43 PM.
                sigpic“Gorillas are very intelligent, but they don't have to be as delicate as chimps -- they can just smash open the termite nest,”
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                Official Member Of The Nutters Club - Rwanda Branch.
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                Sent from my ZX Spectrum with no predictive text..........
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                KOYS - King Of Yellow Stickers..............

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                • #9
                  I'm with Bigmally - but look for plots with plenty of good big canes - big generally equals healthy for raspberries. Then summer or autumn types should fruit this year if not left lying about. I gave 10 good canes away (weeds to me) last week.

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                  • #10
                    How many canes did the pot have? My Mum gave me my raspberry canes for my birthday! I've forgotten exactly how many pots she gave me but there were 6canes per pot I gave a few pots away.

                    Where are you based?

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                    • #11
                      Thanks very much for the informative responses.

                      Actually a very generous allotment neighbour gave me 3 canes before Xmas that I potted up as I didn't have any prepared ground for them.

                      Scarlet I'm based in Chesham, Bucks. The Wilko potted raspberries had 3 thin canes in a very small pot.

                      Thanks again.

                      Paul

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                      • #12
                        Well I'm took the plunge &ordered 10 Joan J canes from Blackmoor Nursery &they arrived yesterday afternoon whilst I was on the plot.

                        Unfortunately I have not opened them yet as I have not finished preparing the bed for them. Spent all day yesterday digging the ground &unearthed two roomfuls of carpet &assorted rubbish.

                        It's heaving down with rain today so I'm unlikely to get out again until next weekend. Please can you advise what I should do with the new canes? If I pot them up will they survive being moved again next weekend?

                        Many thanks,

                        Paul

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