"Growing raspberries for
favourite family desserts!"

Growing raspberries in your garden or even on the patio is as easy as raspberry pie! I've always started raspberries from someone else's cast-off canes!

However, if you want to get a good start with your raspberry crop, it's probably wise to buy your starter canes from a garden supplier.

With a little care and know-how your raspberry patch will keep producing fruits for many years.

Crocus UK have a few varieties available:

"Autumn Fruiting Raspberry"
Growing raspberries in UK Type 'raspberries' (without the quotes) in the 'find me more info on' box on their homepage.

And Gardeners Supply are a good US online garden supplier...

"Heritage Red" raspberry.
Growing raspberries in US Type 'raspberries' (without the quotes) into the search box on their homepage.

Positioning:

Raspberries need deep very well-drained soil. They prefer sunlight but will tolerate partial shade. I have seen a healthy crop of raspberries produced year after year from a few plants tucked behind a garden shed! Check when you buy your canes on the best position. There are red, purple and golden types of raspberries and different species of each. Each type will have specific growing instructions and preferences.

Grow raspberries in the same soil as last year's veggies BUT don't put them in the same place as previously grown potatoes, tomatoes or peppers, and, because they are of the same family, avoid placing near or after any brambles.

Avoid cold or windy spots.

Growing raspberries - planting:

Prepare the ground and remove every single weed. Dig in well-rotted compost and once again check the drainage. Growing raspberries in badly drained soil will probably result in more mildew than raspberries!

Choose healthy looking canes and plant 2-3 feet apart in rows. Leave about 6 feet between rows. At the end of the first year's growth or at the beginning of the second, you will probably find new canes shooting up from the 'sucker' type roots. Leave these to fill out the line a little, but take care not to let the line get too wide. Raspberries are very susceptible to mildew and rot.

Remove the extras and replant at the end of the line, or somewhere else in the garden. Most raspberry canes will transplant very easily by simply pushing the cut cane, cut end first, into well-prepared soil. We have about a 50% success rate with these cut and plant canes, sometimes higher, so it's definately worth a try.

Raspberries are part biennial and part perennial, just to confuse matters! Basically this means that the first year's growth will produce foliage and the flowers and fruit will appear on this cane the following year. The cane will then die. That's the biennial bit :-) - the perrennial part is the roots and crown.

At the end of the season, dead canes should be removed with a sharp pair of secateurs or anything that will cut cleanly. Remove dead canes from the site or they may encourage disease in your raspberry patch.

Watch for mildew or rotting through the winter months and remove any infected canes. Thin out if necessary before the start of the spring growth. Cut canes if they are overcrowding and replant.

Mulch your raspberries to keep moisture in. Although raspberries won't tolerate boggy ground, they do need a lot of moisture to produce healthy fruits, so mulching is a good idea, especially during long hot summers. Make sure your mulch is weed-free. Use wood chippings, straw or even comfrey leaves.

Water regularly, and keep weed-free.

Raspberries benefit from a support system, and a few wires stretched either side of the row and attached to a solid pole at each end will protect them from wind damage.

This is the best bit of course! Pick your raspberries as and when they are ready. The fruits should fall into your hand as you touch them leaving the white 'plug' behind. Raspberries are a very soft fruit and are easily damaged during picking.

If you're picking with 'tinies', give them a specific area to pick, a medium sized bowl, and have a few wet wipes handy!

Raspberries are best eaten fresh straight off the plant. Resist if you can! But they can also be used to make traditional jams and preserves, pies and crumbles and they are delicious with yogurts or ice cream!

Growing organic soft fruits will help maintain a healthy diet for you and your family.

You can find more about raspberries and even a few recipe ideas in my book recently published with Findhorn Press. Grow Your Own Pharmacy You really can grow enough fruit and veg to keep your family glowing with good health!

Happy Gardening!

More "Raspberry" Reading

www.flower-and-garden-tips.com/growingraspberries.html