On 07/10/2018 10:10, Roger Tonkin wrote:
In article ,
says...

Roger Tonkin wrote:

In article ,
says...

I was thinking of planting two rows of raspberries in my new 10ft raised
beds this autumn: one row summer fruiting and one autumn fruiting. I
was hoping to get two varieties of each (i.e. 4 varieties in total) and
I was looking at https://www.ashridgetrees.co.uk but I start to get cold
feet about spacing etc.
[...]

Not really sure why you want different varieties.

80% in order to try to spread the cropping season to reduce
feast/famine. I was trying to pick late/early summer fruiting for
example.

20% to hedge my bets picking a variety. So hard to cut through the
marketing in catalogues etc: they list the benefits, half of which are
variable/subjective anyway, and it's hard to read between the lines to
understand downsides (poor flavour, won't do well on clay).

With most veg/annuals you get to 're-roll' the dice each year, but I
might be stuck with these canes for better or worse for the next 15
years. The average marriage is shorter than that[1].

[...] so planting just a few canes well sopaced is in
the long term just as effective.

Thanks - I might do that. It would certainly make things simpler.

Peter

[1] actually I'm misquoting a statistic which seems deliberately
intended to be misread that way.


Raspberries freeze well, we always froze then straight off the
canes, no washing and drying. Of course they do not thaw out
neatly, s would not make an attractive cake/dessert topping,
but are fine stewed with other beries as a mixed fruit dessert.
I also used them in home made yoghurt (just cooked).

Strange, I have grown and frozen raspberries for years, Unlike
strawberries the thaw perfectly well and can be used just as fresh ones can.