Raspberry Canes - Planting & Care

Follow these simple tips about planting and caring for your raspberry bushes to ensure they bear a good crop of fruit for many years.

Plant bare root canes in late Autumn or early Winter.
Raspberry plants do not like an impoverished soil so prepare the ground well and dig in plenty of well rotted manure.
Construct a permanent support system if possible (a simple wire and post sytem is normally perfectly adequate).
Plant the canes at 40cm intervals (rows should be about 2 metres apart).
Plant at a depth of about 6cm, spread the roots out, and then prune the stem back to 25cm.
Mulch every Spring with a well-rotted manure (taking care not to bury the stems).
Weed and water regularly and thoroughly.
Prune Summer-fruiting raspberries as soon as they have finished fruiting by cutting back all the fruited canes to ground level and tying in the new canes.
Prune Autumn-fruiting raspberries by cutting all the canes back to ground-level at the end of the Winter.
Prune all raspberry canes again in the Spring by cutting back to a healthy bud about 15cm above the top supporting wire.

Useful Web Resources on Raspberry Bushes- Planting & Care

Blackmoor Nurseries - See the Fruit Growers Handbook section on Soft Fruit Culture