Hello there! some random newbie questions about compost and raspberries

[FlisH]

Hi everyone, I've just taken on an allotment plot nearly 3 weeks ago, and I'm loving it!



I've started planting, even though I know it's a bit late in the season to get much out. However I just wanted to ask, having cleared an overgrown plot, I've got more of a compost mountain than a heap. It does contain all sorts of weeds, including a lot of horsetail and bindweed. I've heard that I don't want to spread the resulting compost on the plot or I'll be spreading the weeds again, but what on earth can I do? Is it just a case of bagging and taking to the tip?

Next I've been lucky enough to inherit raspberries, but they are currently growing in a tangled mess of older and newer looking branches, some are fruiting. I'm not sure how to best care for them? Should I just wait until end of season and prune well back? Would it be possible to space them out by digging some out at that point of would I damage the roots? They are about 5ft high in places so must have well established roots?

Anyway thanks for reading and any advice or suggestions appreciated!

[burnie]

Hi Flish, firstly I would burn all the mountain and spread the ash round the raspberries as they like it(especially wood ash). You need to know what the rasps are, if they are summer fruiting, you remove the old wood and tie in the new growth to wires/posts for next year. If they are Autumn fruiting, then after fruiting you cut the lot off as they fruit on new wood.

[Jay-ell]

Hi Flish and welcome to the five.

Same advice as burnie really.

[Cadalot]

No advice needed you've had it, but welcome to the vine

[Bren In Pots]

Flish you've had some excellent advice already so all I'll say is hello and welcome to the vine

[vixylix]

I have inherited a similar raspberry tangle - I've tied all the new canes to posts (which has smartened it up no end actually!) and then will cut all the old stuff down once its died back at the end of the year. By now you should be able to tell the new ones quite easily, as they won't be showing signs of fruiting

[nickdub]

Hi everyone, I've just taken on an allotment plot nearly 3 weeks ago, and I'm loving it!

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I've started planting, even though I know it's a bit late in the season to get much out. However I just wanted to ask, having cleared an overgrown plot, I've got more of a compost mountain than a heap. It does contain all sorts of weeds, including a lot of horsetail and bindweed. I've heard that I don't want to spread the resulting compost on the plot or I'll be spreading the weeds again, but what on earth can I do? Is it just a case of bagging and taking to the tip?

Next I've been lucky enough to inherit raspberries, but they are currently growing in a tangled mess of older and newer looking branches, some are fruiting. I'm not sure how to best care for them? Should I just wait until end of season and prune well back? Would it be possible to space them out by digging some out at that point of would I damage the roots? They are about 5ft high in places so must have well established roots?

Anyway thanks for reading and any advice or suggestions appreciated!

As an alternative to the burning suggestions which will definitely work, you could get some of those one ton builders bags which they deliver sand in and bag your green stuff up to rot down (do not mix it with other compost). The advantage will be that you will have more useful material to use when its rotted down next year - the downside is you'll have to sieve it or check through it minutely to screen our any weed roots that do survive.

Probably depends on time available, and what other sources of enrichment for your soil like horse manure you have access to.

I use this bagging up trick with leaves in the Autumn - takes about 2 years to get leaf-mold this way, but its free and you can drag the full bags around if they happen to get in the way.

You can move your raspberries in the winter most easily -leave them alone for now. It may be better to start with new canes unless the old ones look real healthy, as they some times build up diseases if they've been in the same place for a long time.

[burnie]

As an aside, I had some Autumn Bliss and I cut half the stems to the ground and only cut half off the rest, I then got 2 crops one almost as early as the summer and then a full crop later, thing was we didn't really like the taste, so pulled them out and gave them away.

[Jay-ell]

A third solution to the weeds would be to get some of those big plastic bins with secure-able lids or some waterbutts. Stuff the weeds into them, as much as you can, then top up with water. Weight it down so everything is under the water then pop the lid on, seal with duct tape and leave it.

After several months purchase a gas mask and some bio-hazzard coveralls (the stuff will reek when you take the lid off, but the outfit is to freak out the neighbours) and it should have decomposed into a potent liquid feed (the water but has the advantage in that you can just turn the tap - if it isn't blocked). If there's any recognisable material don't worry - just fill up with weeds and repeat.

A fourth method could be to bokashi all the weeds - the pickling would kill them then they can be composted. Did this on one of my previous plots using 100l water buts and a wheelie bin for bind weed, creeping buttercup, nettles, couch grass and anything going to seed (including lettuce) and the resulting compost was great. Not sure how mares/horse tail would bokashi though due to it's tough waxy skin - of course if you leave it in an acidic, anaerobic environment long enough it will eventually succumb. I had my bins sitting for a couple of months

[FlisH]

Thank you for all the advice! Our site doesn't allow fires unfortunately, so I'll see if I can get some bins with lids if that will work. I did look at the hot composters, but I've got an awful lot of them and they're quite expensive.

Will leave the raspberries for now and wait until they've finished fruiting. As far as telling what sort of variety they are, is it as easy as they must be summer fruiting if there are fruits in July or is there more to it?

[veggiechicken]

Hi FlisH and welcome
My raspberries are all muddled up, summer and autumn For pruning, I cut out all the dead canes and leave the rest. You may have to do it bit by bit, as you spot a dead cane, but there's no real hurry - they're not doing any harm.
Should have said - you can cut out the dead canes now too, that may make it easier to see what you have.

[nickdub]

bins will work fine - fill them with water if you want liquid feed - will be more smelly though.

Lots of different sorts of raspberries, bit like other fruit, different sizes, colours (including yellow), flavors and cropping potential.

[Jay-ell]

Raspberries have been known to give grapes nervous breakdowns

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ion_93122.html
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...elp_92848.html