Raspberries – a delicious red berry fruit that you can eat on it’s own or turn into jam, flans, pies or even crumble!
It’s a versatile fruit and it’s possible to be eating this from late June all the way through to mid October
Glen Moy is supposed to be the best early fruiting raspberry available.
They are a long term plant though so preparation is key. Prepare an area by weeding it and dig in lots of well rotted manure of garden compost to make sure the soil will be full of nutrients for the plants to grow well in.
Raspberries need support so you must ensure they have a framework to grow onto. By putting in two poles or stakes and running two wires along you can provide enough support. Raspberries may stay in the same place for many years – perhaps upwards of 12, so it’s important to get it right. They are incredibly invasive too and will send underground runners into neighbouring beds.
Plant the raspberry cane plants and water them in. Keep the site clear of weeds and perhaps use weed suppresent material inbewteen the beds. This also means you get your feet less diirty in summer when it’s time to pick them.
Prune summer fruiting varieties in autumn, and cut down those canes which fruited this year right to the ground. Tie in up to 8 of the strongest stems that have grown this year. In midwinter you should prune these to 15cm above your top wire.
Some autumn fruiting varieties may not need staking and can be left to grow more as a bush than a trained plant.
You should dig out spare runners that appear. You can grow these on elsewhere though.
Like all soft fruit they need plenty of moisture when they are fruiting. You may need to water them about every ten days in dry spells. Remember that a good watering is better than just a small amount. Plenty of organic matter in the soil helps the plants to retain water.