How to Plant Raspberries in your Garden
- Written by NewsServices.com
We all know how tasty fruit and veg can be, so imagine being able to pluck some raspberries from your back garden to make delicacies like jelly, jam and cake. The good news is they can be easily grown as long as they are planted in well-drained soils and are watered regularly. There are two different varieties of raspberries: The autumn-fruiting berries and the summer-fruiting berries. The main difference between the two is the summer-fruiting variety produces fruit in canes that are two years old while the autumn-fruiting variety produces fruit on the current season’s growth.
If you have been planning to grow them, you should first choose a spot that is sunny and has well-drained soil. This fruit can easily get root rot and requires well-draining soil. Moreover, you can enrich your soil with fertiliser. If the soil has clay, you can add a rich, organic compost and mix it well using a fork to improve nutrient composition and drainage.
You can purchase the bare-root during spring or as container-grown to plant them during summer, spring, or autumn. During planting, place the plant in the hole and fill it up gently. Ensure you form a raised mound of soil on the edge of the plant’s root zone to keep water where it is most needed. You should water the plant well during the first few weeks as the plant establishes itself. If you have even more space in your garden for fruits and veg, then consider these tips for planting a plum tree as well!
If you are planting multiple berry plants, ensure they are at least 1.5m apart and in rows that are 2m apart. The canes will then fill in all the available spaces and all you will need to do is dig up those that venture outside the row. Add organic mulch like sugarcane, bark chips and pea straw.
You don’t have to trellis a free-standing patch if there is enough room for the canes to bend slightly as the fruits ripen. However, if you are growing them in a row, you can support the fruits by adding two vertical wires on either side of the row and attaching them to T-bar posts at the two ends of the row to support the canes.
Harvest them when they are well-coloured and ripe by tugging them off. They do not last long after being harvested so they should either be eaten immediately or refrigerated for up to three days. You can also freeze them.
You can successfully grow your fruits as long as you choose the correct soil, right variety and ensure you water them regularly. Also, you should provide plant support for them by installing trellises. Additionally, during fall, you should cut all the floricanes until they reach the ground level. During spring, remove any weak, small and diseased canes. You should properly harvest, prune and maintain the plant to produce abundant berries.
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