Fruit garden Food Recipes Autumn

A berry with a bad reputation

Garden Life

It’s a common ingredient in desserts and yoghurts and a fruit that can be found in many people’s gardens. Raspberries are a fruit which isn’t difficult to cultivate and grow and don’t require too much care. However, they still have a bad reputation. Here is a guide on how to avoid problems when growing raspberries.

Characteristics

When buying a raspberry shrub, select it carefully. Several types of raspberries grow sprouts, which is the reason why raspberry bushes often start spreading in the garden. This fact has caused the raspberry to gain a less than positive reputation among some gardeners. However certain types of raspberries do not grow sprouts.

Cultivation

Planting raspberry plants which are already one year old is ideal because raspberries only bear fruits in the second year. Choose a deep place that is in sunlight, is wind-protected and water-permeable. All these factors influence the successfulness of your harvest. Water the plant root ball a few minutes before planting, then you can set up a grow-support. The depth of the hole you dig depends on the size of the bush being planted. Plant the bush and fill the hole with soil and compost. Take care to leave sufficient space of about 40-50 centimetres between the bushes if you decide to plant more than one. Water them thoroughly to encourage the bush roots to grow deeper. Next year, water it only every two weeks, except when there are high temperatures.

Care and harvesting

To prevent a poor return on your crop, be sure to take steps when caring for your plant. It helps to mulch the bush from time to time in order to keep the ground moist, preventing weeds. After harvesting, prune the canes at least once a year. If you have summer raspberries, cut the discoloured brown shoots. If you have autumn raspberries, cut all shoots just above the ground. Remove all weak and poor branches. At the end of winter you can apply compost or biological fertiliser and mulch so that from summer to summer, your raspberry plant is as healthy as possible.

Care and harvesting

There was a small crop? This occurs due to a lack of care, because the raspberry is left to its own. It helps to mulch the bush from time to time to keep the ground moist and to fight weed. After the harvest, prune the canes at least once a year. If you have summer raspberries cut the discolored brown shoots and if you have autumn raspberries cut all shoots just above the ground. You can also remove all weak and poor branches. At the end of winter you can apply compost or biological fertilizer and mulch, so that you have a rich carrying bush, from summer to summer.