Grow your own raspberries

Raspberries are one of the most popular fruits ever, and because they are so popular they are also rather pricey in regular stores. So, if you have a sunny spot in your garden, you can both save money and enjoy better and organic raspberries. The only disadvantage of raspberries is their low durability, so by harvesting your own raspberries gradually – only when needed, you can save time too. Growing raspberries is easy and even beginners can do it, so, let’s get right on it.

The sun as the most important factor

You should choose the location for your raspberry shrub very carefully, because raspberry can grow in the same spot for up to 10 years. Don’t choose a place near a fence for example, because raspberry multiplies by shoots quickly. Although your raspberry bush will grow in a partial shade, if you want better yields you must choose a location where the sun shines as much as possible . You should protect your raspberry shrubs from direct wind because branches break easily. Watering is also very important – this is mostly true for newly planted raspberries.

Photo: Pixabay

Soil preparation

Since the shrub has rather shallow roots, you don’t need to work the soil deeply before planting, but definitely get rid of all weeds, especially the tough ones – if you try to get rid of weeds after planting you risk damaging the roots of your raspberry shrubs. You can work compost into soil before planting. The soil should have a pH from 5.5 to 6.5. You should also plant individual raspberries according to whether they are first-time fruiting (in rows 40-60 cm) or second-fruiting (in a row of 75 cm).

Planting

Raspberry bushes are planted to a depth, which depends on the fact how high the root buds are – buds should be covered with 5 cm of soil. When done, carefully press down, water the shrub and cover it with an organic material.

Pruning is simple

If you planted your raspberry in the spring, cut the part which is above the ground down to 20 to 40 centimetres, depending how the shoot and root is thick. If the shoot or the root system is very thin, shorten the shrub even more. In the second year after planting, leave two to three shoots per plant and in the following years, leave six to eight shoots. Always remove the weakest shoots and keep the strongest ones.

Preview photo: Pixabay