"Jo" wrote in message
...
I planted some raspberry canes last November and had a small amount of
fruit
this year. Out of the 12, only 8 were successful and I want to close up
the
gaps, only having a small garden I don't really want to replace them as I
now know how much room they take up!

1. Do I cut them back after this first year's growth?
2. Can the canes be moved successfully?
3. I've read that you have to build a frame around them. Any low cost
ideas, please?

Thanks

You've probably already got new canes coming up where you don't want them
(or you will have soon), dig those up to fill the gaps. Chris has already
explained pruning summer fruiting varieties fruit on last year's new canes,
autumn fruiting ones fruit on this year's new canes so all you need to do is
to cut the lot down to near ground level during the winter and in spring
/early summer reduce the number of canes to perhaps 5 or 6 per stool to
encourage good sized fruit. Various ways to support both sorts my favoured
and simplest way is just a good post driven in at each end of the row -
slant them backwards at about 15-20degrees so your wires tend to pull them
towards vertical. You need about 1.2/1.5metres above ground and about
0.8metres below ground depending on soil type. 2 or three wires (1or 2mm
dia) stretched between the posts, tie the canes to those. Cage may or may
not be needed depending on the appetite of your local birds. The design of
cage is a made up of a balance of cost v convenience, available materials
and ingenuity. My cages are made of galvanised steel water pipe (from local
plumbers merchant or scrapyard)and 'kee klamps'(from local engineers
merchants) covered with netting from Knowle Nets of Bridport.

Rod