... the raspberries are planted.
It's always good to share a special moment with someone, especially if they happen to bring a confident approach to the whole affair. (- thank you, you know who you are)
Hoping that once planted the raspberries will be there for 10 years or so I wanted to be sure to give them the best start I could, so I'd been cross referencing planting techniques. Raspberry roots are shallow, perhaps only about 4'' deep I needed to get the right organic fertiliser. One kind, fellow plot holder had lent me a book which advised using nitro-chalk - but apparently this is quite industrial and not readily available from garden centres. Other books advise bone meal but I didn't want to use that knowing how the foxes love to dig it up. So my dear friend got a recommended organic fertiliser which we used as well as digging in well rotted stable manure.
I have planted three summer fruiting varieties; Glen Moy, Glen Prosen and Glen Ample and three autumn fruiting - all Autumn Bliss. I understand the autumn varieties are easiest to grow as the canes can be cut to the ground in late winter as the fruit grows on the new seasons growth they also smaller plants and don't really need any support. Whereas the summer varieties grow fruit on the previous years growth, so you only have to cut the canes which have been fruited on, picking the newer canes to tie to supports for the next years fruit. You see it's also complicated to explain. Anyway as we love raspberries in this house I want to have the longest possible season therefore buying both summer and autumn varieties. All four varieties carry the prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM).
4 comments:
we have both summer and autumn raspberry beds now too! fingers crossed we all get loads ~ i want to inleash the inner domestic goddness and make jam etc! though i generally eat them off the plant as they are....oooopps
How lovely to have someone who knows what they're doing helping you.
Good luck with your harvest, are you going to net them to deter the birds?
Deb (@carrotsandkids.com)
ahm.... did you plant all the canes from each pot together? Those pots usually contain 5 or 6 seperate canes... Nice raised bed by the way
Thank you andyg
You are so right! I should have split up the canes. When I was planted them I wondered that but there was no instruction to on any of the labels and as they hadn't come bare-rooted I left them although I did cut the cable ties holding them together. I have rang Wisley and they told me I had done it wrong!! Of course, this means I have way too many raspberries and not enough room to put them!! some intense digging is required!
Nothing like learning by your mistakes then eh?
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