Thursday, July 16, 2009

My tangled up raspberries

A reader requested to see my raspberries - so here they are.

They are just a tangled up mess - I have no supports in there - I had some supports but they weren't working very well so I took them out this spring.

I have red and yellow berries. Summer and Fall (everbearing) berries.

I don't do a lot to them - just throw some compost on the ground between them once in awhile - maybe once a season - and cut out dead canes.

They are along one side of my house so they do not get full sun. I water them daily if it doesn't rain.

I would guess the secret to such abundance and the huge size of the berries is the compost. The berries spread and I dig up the errant canes and give them to my neighbors - none of theirs produce like mine do - so I think it has to be the compost.

I also have some black raspberries, but I moved them last year so they are not producing right now. The reason I moved them was that their canes grow really long and are more prickly - the red and yellow canes seem to be more stout and upright (sort of) and don't prick as much - the black raspberries were really tangling the other up even more and making it really hard to get in there and pick.

4 comments:

April said...

I just planted some raspberries this spring--I'm hoping they will do their best to take over the area I gave them! I will definitely be sure to give them a regular dose of compost--I want to have LOTS of berries!

Your sorbet looks AMAZING!

Kathi said...

Thanks April. It tastes great too.

Anonymous said...

Do the birds get into your raspberries? I think they've been eating some of my raspberries, blackberries and strawberries. I need to cover them with nets I suppose.
Amy

Kathi said...

I gladly share with the birds. I am glad to have them around. I think the birds eat more of my currants than they do the raspberries - and there are a lot more currants to share - so it works out well.