Milliways fruit plants, Mail order shop: Advice, tips and tricks.
How to grow Raspberries
Growing soft fruit: Raspberries. See our fruit section for other fruit plants to buy and articles on growing fruit.
We will try to get you up to speed you on growing, choosing and buying Raspberry plants. whether your trying to be self sufficient or a keen Jam maker or just want to grow some edible productive plants We hope to help guide you through the process.
Autumn fruiting plants such as autumn bliss that we can go on harvesting until the first frosts arrive. Raspberries are very easy to care for and grow. All raspberries thrive in cool, moist conditions that's why will they do so well in Ireland and UK.
Autumn-fruiting raspberries are very productive, often way more their summer-fruiting cousins, this because when the time comes for them to bear their fruit the weather has usually become a bit cooler and wetter. The result is juicy plump sweet fruits. Watch out for moulds though they can ruin a crop in little time.
They're best planted from late November to mid April so we will try to help you in selecting and growing Autumn raspberries in perfect time for ordering your canes, ready for a bumper crop next year.
Varieties to choose The Latin name for raspberry is Rubus idaeus and the following varieties will carry excellent crops of delicious fruit from now until the first frosts: -Yellow "All Gold" -Red "Autumn Bliss" -Yellow "Fallgold" -Red "Galante" -Red Himbo Top (also sold as "Rafzaqu")Growing autumn raspberries.
Before planting weed out the area for the fruit bed very thoroughly.
Erect a sturdy support of strong posts set about 10ft. (3.1m) apart with taut galvanized wires in between. Make sure the posts are well set have time to settle.
Winter
Plant the canes 15in. (38cm) apart in rows, each row being no closer than 6ft. (1.8m). They should then be allowed to thicken up into a band 2-3ft. (60-90cm) wide.
Apply a rich mulch of well-rotted manure or garden compost and apply sulphate of potash at 3/4oz. /sq .yd. (25g/m2) in late January. failing that you can add in some general powdered tomatoe food or add a liquid tomatoe feed weekly.
During subsequent winters cut all canes to ground level.
Jobs to do
Spring
Thin new canes as they emerge and weed the bed as thoroughly as possible.
Start feeding with seaweed solution once a month. Also feed with sulphate of ammonia in early March at 1/2 oz./sq .yd. (15g/m2).
Summer.
Regularly tie in the developing canes to their support.
Autumn.
Autumn means picking and eating or making Jams.
To freeze them I do the following. I wash them well in and dry them on towels. Then freeze them on flat trays in the freezer (who'd a thunk it) then transfer to bags. Or freeze them in plastic boxes with a little sugar sprinkled over them. the not so good ones keep for smoothies, or purees.
Not just for you though - birds love raspberries so make sure you are quick and protect your fruit from hungry beaks and bugs. Try our fruit net.
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