On Thu, 17 Feb 2005 12:37:59 -0000, "Miss Perspicacia Tick"
wrote:

Two or three seasons ago I planted a half-dozen raspberry canes - they were
an early-fruiting variety ('Glen Magna' if memory serves) which promised a
crop in the first year (even though I have read you shouldn't pick the first
year's crop you should let it wither on the canes to provide nourishment for
a larger crop the following year). I waited with anticipation, looking
forward to my first crop of organically home-grown rasperries to puree for
sauce for my homemade organic vanilla ice cream. Well, I'm still waiting. To
date I have had three rather hard and wizened berries - and that's it. The
canes look dead - I am hoping (rather forlornly, I suspect) for them to
suddenly undergo a miraculous ressurection, but I fear it isn't going to
happen.

Jane's post pretty well has it covered. All I can usefully add is that
you should check the pH of your soil - Chilterns in my head = chalk
(alkaline conditions, i.e pH 7.0) so if your tests confirm this you
will need to add copious amounts of well rotted organic material,
manure, garden compost etc but not mushroom compost - that contains
chalk. Also if you apply artificial fertilisers them let the
nitrogenous component be something like Ammonium Sulphate which tends
to acidify the soil.
Not too keen on the All Gold but Joan J is about as good as autumn
fruiting rasps get.

=================================================

Rod

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