How to Grow Raspberries
If you are looking for something easy to grow and have a little space,
Raspberries are for you! Sweet tasting and antioxidant rich, Raspberries
grow wild in the woods and along trails in many parts of the country. They
successfully compete with a wide variety of weeds in fields and along the
edge of woods.
When you plant a few in your yard or garden, they will easily thrive. With
a little care and attention, you will you will be rewarded with a big and
juicy crop!
Did you know? While many growers will buy Raspberries from a garden
store, you can dig out small plants from the woods near you (get permission
if its your neighbor's woods). We do suggest you be careful of those poison
ivy plants that may be growing next to the Raspberry plants.
Preparing the Raspberry Patch:
Growing raspberry bushes is easy. Raspberries will grow in poor, dry soils.
They will successfully compete against weeds in the woods. But, in the wild,
the berries can be small, and the crop sparse. Given a little attention and
care, they will do much better in your garden.
So....let's grow some big, juicy raspberries. Start out by selecting a sunny
location. If your space is limited and you have allotted the sunniest space
to your tomatoes, it's okay. A little light shade won't hurt your raspberries.
Next, mix in plenty of humus and rich organic material. Then, add a multi
purpose fertilizer. Till the area well, and eliminate all of the weeds. Now
you're ready to plant!
Planting Raspberry Bushes:
Raspberries are usually grown in rows... called hedgerows. Allow about 1
1/2 to 2 feet width for the hedgerow. Plant new canes three feet apart. They
will send out suckers, and fill in the area in between. Immediately after
planting, water thoroughly. Keep the soil moist for a couple of weeks to
allow the new plants to develop good roots.
Care and Maintenance:
Here is one of the great things about raspberries.....once your patch is
established, you don't need to give it a lot of attention. You should thin
out the patch from time to time. Don't let the bushes get too thick. Good
air circulation will help to avoid fungus disease. This is a common problem
with Raspberries, especially if in grown shadier parts of the garden.
A general purpose fertilizer once or twice a season is also helpful to promote
strong, healthy plants and big fruit. Do not over apply. Too much nitrogen
can result in bushy plants, but less berries.
Mulch is a useful tool for growing Raspberries. It helps to keep the weeds
down. Do not apply it too thickly, as new shoots need to be able to get through
a layer of mulch.
Raspberries will forgive you if the soil gets a little dry from time to time.
But, dry soil during the fruiting period will result in smaller berries.
Raspberries are biennials. They produce fruit on second year canes, called
floricanes. After producing fruit, these second year canes will die and should
be pruned out. Prune bushes immediately after the harvest season is
over. Allow new suckers to grow each year for next year's crop.
Insects, Pests and Disease:
The most common disease problem with Raspberries is fungus disease. This
can be minimized by keeping the hedgerows thinned.
Insects are not a common problem.
The biggest threat to your crop are birds. They love the berries as much
as you do! Unless you want to share the crop, we recommend a bird netting
over the plants during the fruiting period.
Bird Netting - Keep birds out of your raspberries.
More Information:
Buy Raspberry Bushes
Soil Testers
Bird Netting - Don't let the birds eat all your juicy
raspberries?
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compost.
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