... 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).
