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.

Is one row of 2x5 canes stupidly close in a 10ft bed? For pennies less
I could get 2x3 canes per row instead, but is 3x canes of one variety
too few to be worth bothering with? Should I just simplify my life and
go for "textbook" spacing of 6 or 7 of only one variety per row instead?

Opinions?

Peter

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.

Is one row of 2x5 canes stupidly close in a 10ft bed? For pennies less
I could get 2x3 canes per row instead, but is 3x canes of one variety
too few to be worth bothering with? Should I just simplify my life and
go for "textbook" spacing of 6 or 7 of only one variety per row instead?

Opinions?

Peter

Not really sure why you want different varieties. I grew just
one variety in each row, and as my bed ran east west, I planted
the autumn fruiting one south of the summer fruiting ones.

Given the nature of growing raspberries, where you cut down the
canes each year and new ones come up, providing you soil is
reasoanly good, after a couple of years they will be coming up
every where, so planting just a few canes well sopaced is in
the long term just as effective.


--
Roger T

700 ft up in Mid-Wales

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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.

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).

--
Roger T

700 ft up in Mid-Wales

---
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
https://www.avg.com

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.