[oink]

OK, I'm going to visit my dad for a couple of months and was hoping to get some raspberries in the ground before I go.

I've dug up two trenches of lawn, 2 ft wide, to put in 10 each of 'Malling Admiral' and 'Autumn Bliss' but the problem is my books say I should put a layer of manure about a foot under the soil and then I should leave it for at least a  month before planting the canes.  First of all I've just used all my rotted manure on my 'other' veg plots and secondly I'll only be able to leave the trenches for two weeks before I plant the canes.

My plan is to just stick them in now and hope two weeks between digging and planting is fine, and then use some rotted manure as a mulch next spring but I was hoping someone with experience of raspberries could tell me I'm doing the right thing or should I just wait till next year?  I'm hoping they'll last 10 years so I'm wondering if bodging it really is the way to go?

Thanks in advance

[sellickbhoy]

i just planted mine in some normal compost/mixed in with the earth i had dug out - did it in november last year - and they've come roaring on.

I added some fruit plant feed in the spring when they showed signs on growth starting.

the plants tend to be fairly hardy!! And just to highlight that problem, i'll tell you a wee story

I ordered 15 plants last year, but only 10 got delivered!! I planted the 10 and contacted the supplier - who apologised and sent out the remaining 5.

However, i had got some extras from a friend, so before the 5 arrived, i had planted 5 more. So when the 5 turned up, i chucked them in the shed and forgot all about them.

they stayed wrapped up in straw and polythene all winter and in early spring, when i was clearing the shed out, i found them. i opened them up and they looked a sorry state. but i thought i'd try save them. Stuck them in a bucket of water and moved outside, after a few days, i put them into a pot of compost.

a few days later, leaves started to appear. So i gave them some feed and low and behold the bloody things took

by mid summer they were looking as healthy as the original 15 plants that had been planted out.

so, i now have 20 rasps growing away.

 

[oink]

Nice one,  I'll just go ahead and stick them in the ground then.  I often think we make this gardening lark harder for ourselves by underestimating the resilience of plants.

Cheers

[sellickbhoy]

Nice one,  I'll just go ahead and stick them in the ground then.  I often think we make this gardening lark harder for ourselves by underestimating the resilience of plants.

Cheers

totally agree

until April 2008 I'd never planted anything at all.

so far i've found that if you stick something in the ground it'll make a fair go of it itself

of course, stick it in the right kinda ground at the right time of year and add water when needed, shelter it, give it some support, keep it pruned and looked after - and it'll do much better. But in reality. Mother nature seems to have a pretty good handle on these things.

having said that - i got NO BEETROOT this year!!! raging!!!

[Lavinia]

having said that - i got NO BEETROOT this year!!! raging!!!



I was going to plant beetroot for next year is it that hard to grow?

[doganjo]

I've never had any problems with beetroot.  I've grown it in pots, growbags, drills, scattered - always comes up.  Don't plant seeds too close as they will stunt each other's growth like carrots.   Pick small, twist off tops and long roots, boils till almost soft, chop and put in jars with pickling vinegar - yum yum.  think I'll go and have some now

[marigold]

If you can get hold of old fleece the dirtier the better, you will have the best rasps in the area for years ahead. If you haven't stick with plan a and go ahead and top mulch.

Dirty fleece is great under soft fruit because it breaks down slowly and fertilises for years. But you cna always water in seaweed or top mulch with chicken poo etc.

[xillent]

OK, I'm going to visit my dad for a couple of months and was hoping to get some raspberries in the ground before I go.

I've dug up two trenches of lawn, 2 ft wide, to put in 10 each of 'Malling Admiral' and 'Autumn Bliss' but the problem is my books say I should put a layer of manure about a foot under the soil and then I should leave it for at least a  month before planting the canes.  First of all I've just used all my rotted manure on my 'other' veg plots and secondly I'll only be able to leave the trenches for two weeks before I plant the canes.

My plan is to just stick them in now and hope two weeks between digging and planting is fine, and then use some rotted manure as a mulch next spring but I was hoping someone with experience of raspberries could tell me I'm doing the right thing or should I just wait till next year?  I'm hoping they'll last 10 years so I'm wondering if bodging it really is the way to go?

Thanks in advance

Rasps are usually very tolerant. One thing to consider is placing a barrier in the soil around the edge of the bed. Possibly plastic sheeting placed vertically as they'll spread into other beds quite readily.

[pottsie]

If it makes you feel better i've had the opposite, planted 20 rasps and they all died, however i had loads of beetroot and i'm still getting some out of the dumpy bags i plante dup last year. Even had a try at beetroot brownies and was really surprised at how well they turned out.

[Wizard]

Hello oink This may help The head Gardener had some new canes delivered I not from where But he said Paul just go and heel them in next to the Dalia's Then dig out 2 spits next to the existing rasps put a good depth of rotted manure in the bottom of the trench and leave it .I went to see what heel them in meant and Paul dug his spade into the soil as far as it would go wiggling it back and forth as it went down.He ended up with a V slot he placed the canes along the slot and then trod the V shut trapping the canes in the slot.It must have been a month six weeks later Tom said Paul go and cover that rasp trench with 4/6" soil and then get the canes you heeled in and plant them in the trench .Use all the soil hill it up around the cane bottoms and tread it firm He planted the them length of his boot apart.I kept my eye on them and not one died.

[sagehen]

I got masses of beetroot last year. The problem is, no one likes beetroot, so I gave them away to anyone who'd have them! Not planting beetroot this year I think.

[Wizard]

In days gone by Top them and give the leaves to the hens and put the surplus beets in the copper with the spuds,they are good to if Dads not watching but he always knew we had been at them I wonder how he knew George

[Elissian]

I planted 20 rasp canes and they all took. At the end of that year we decided to sell the house. I wasn't going to leave behind all those canes I'd just bought so i dug the lot up and popped them into a bucket of soil. we moved into rented before eventually finding a house to buy. I planted the canes just by healing them in as we had so much to do. I went to visit my old neighbour and looking over the garden fence at my old house couldn't believe my eyes as where i'd dug  the canes there was a very healthy looking raspberry hedge, yes a hedge! The new owner hadn't done a thing with the vedge plot, mother nature sorted out the raspberries for them. as for my rasberries they're in the wrong place so they'll have to be moved again it will be sods law that i get a hedge where i don't want it but i love raspberries!

[Wizard]

Hello Elissian You are so right they usually grow like briars only needs a little bit of root and in a blink of an eye theres a bush or as you say a hedge. Its better to cut out this seasons wood though, you will get much better fruit on the new canes next season Tom told me this is what is done in the walled garden where he was Head Gardener