Raspberries

They're supposed to be shallow rooting, so I initially dug muck into the top of the beds and now chuck muck on the ground around them each year. I also put mine in shallow raised beds as I think I read that they like free draining soil and I've got heavy clay. They're always netted.

 

So long as you cut down any cane that has fruited (which you can tell because the stalk of the fruit is left behind on the cane) then that works for both Summer and Autumn fruiting - but the effect will be that you cut down 100% of Autumn fruiting, and 50% of Summer fruiting canes.

Indeed, but I see people saying they are going to plant 3 strawberry plants and 3 Raspberry and to my mind it would be better to plant 6 of one, and none of the other, rather than get not-enough-for-a-meal at each picking of both of them

 

I've got 5 beds (2 summer, 3 autumn cropping), each with about 25 plants in them. There's 2 varieties of summer fruiting and 2 varieties of autumn fruiting and the both beds of summer fruiting will be replaced with runners from the autumn ones as they've been rubbish for cropping ever since I planted them.

I haven't had any problems coping with the simultaneous crop from 75 raspberry plants, but apart from eating fresh fruit, we make smoothies, jelly/jam, cordials, wines, fruit flans, etc. and don't foresee any problems coping with the crop from 125 plants.

 

We had a row of summer fruiters which as far as I recall were proper ones bought from a garden centre, but the fruit quality was no better than wild ones, so they were taken out. The Autumn fruiters are brill, though.

My new canes have been cut down by the donor to about 1' high. Presumably this means there'll be virtually no crop from them this summer?

 

You are likely to get a light crop from Autumn fruiters in the first year (whereas Summer fruiters you get nothing until Year 2 ... however, I think it is better to forego a crop in year 1 and get the plan to concentrate on building a good root structure etc. for future years, so I took the flowers off mine.

 

I've just discovered that Polka are in fact an early Autumn fruiting primocane (no idea what that is but it sounds impressive). They have an outstanding shelf life, apparently, which means they must be a tasteless variety bred for supermarkets. They certainly won't need an outstanding shelf life at Casa Madahlia.

 

It fruits on this years cane

 

I've just ordered 12....

 

And also very heavy cropping and fresh tasting. Break out the cream and sugar!

 

Anyone know if you can 'grow' rasps in containers? Been offered some canes of autumn gold but our garden has a waterlogging issue due to soil compaction and my canes drowned in 2012. Until I can sort it one and for all I wouldn't like to accept a kind offer only for them to go the same way so wondered about holding in buckets or similar

 

I think you could get away with it LP as long as the containers are large and you keep them wet,ideally they'd be better off in the ground though....hopefully you can sort your waterlogging problem out and get them planted but until then just remember to water them

 

I've read that planting them in pots and placing in a poly tunnel in spring will make them fruit ealier, so the last lot of escapees from my autumn fruiting raspberries got planted in ex-Morrisons flower buckets to give this a go, but it might be better using summer fruiting plants.