Raspberries a fine summer fruit

prune back more newly sprouting shoots leaving your selected six to eight stem clear.

Both varieties are best given some means of support. This can be done using bamboo canes and creating a frame work around individual plants or you can create a post and wire structure that will accomomdate a complete row. Actually tying the canes to the support framework is not always essential as long as there is enough framework to stop the canes blowing over. Raspberries can also be very successfully grown fanned against a wall trained to wire supports.

Raspberries like a fertile soil that does not get waterlogged but is moisture retentive and a sheltered sunny site. They don’t crave hot sun or temperatures which makes Ireland a great climate for them. They also prefer a slightly acid soil so struggle on soils with a high ph value. Plant during the winter months November to February when the plants are dormant. Raspberries are often supplied as bareroot plants at during this dormant season which makes them cheaper to buy. They have a running habit, meaning they spread underground, so if you have a friend or neighbour growing raspberries they can probably supply you with rooted runners for free.

Prepare the soil well incorporating compost and a slow release fertiliser like blood, fish and bone. Space plants two feet apart in a single row and if planting more than one row allow five feet between rows. Mulch with well rotted manure or compost and apply 30 grams of blood, fish and bone around the canes in March every year including the first planting year.

In containers grow in eighteen inch diameter pots in a soil based compost. Feed with a liquid fertiliser every month between March and September. Water regularly preferably with rain water if you live in an area with very hard water. Prune in exactly the same way as you would for ground grown plants.