Thursday, June 28, 2007

Thursday Thirteen #26

Our first 10 or so raspberries were ripe for picking yesterday! There are about twice as many ready today! There are SO many more that just aren't ready quite yet. For the next few weeks we will be in raspberry heaven. This is for those of you who want to plant a raspberry bush, but don't know how to take care of them. They really don't required as much work as you may think.

Thirteen Things About Raspberries

1. There are two categories of red raspberries. The common raspberry, which ripens in early to midsummer and the ever bearing raspberry. The ever bearing raspberry produces an early-summer crop on the old growth (previous season) and a fall crop on the new growth (current season).

2. Raspberries grow best in rich,well-drained soil.

3. Raspberries grow best in climates where the spring is lingering and slow to warm, but may succeed in warmer climates if the are grown in light shade.

4. A row or hill of raspberries will ordinarily produce good crops of fruit for 10 years or more, before they need to be replaced.

5. Raspberries should NOT be planted in where eggplants, peppers, potatoes or tomatoes have been grown within three years. They they are susceptible to disease associated with those plants. (Oops, the year we planted our raspberry bush it was right next to TWO tomato plants. It survived and is now too big to have anything else nearby.)

6. New plants should be planted in late fall or early spring and set into the soil 2 inches deeper than they were growing.

7. Newly planted summer bearing raspberries should be left alone for the first year to establish themselves. When buds begin to show the following spring, cut back to 3-5 canes per plant.

8. Raspberry plants should be fertilized in early spring with an all purpose 10-10-10 fertilizer.

9. Do NOT let raspberry plants dry out during flowering and fruiting.

10. In spring, shorten the canes to 3 feet and force the growth into lateral side branches along support wires. (I did not know this. It will make harvesting next year SO much easier.)

11. After a cane produces fruit it should be cut to the ground. The only exception is with the ever bearing raspberry. The second crop's canes should not be cut down as those will bear the next year's first crop of raspberries.

12. Never cut off the new canes which haven't produced yet, they will produce the next years crop. (I am guilty of this, but only it is the suckers that spout up where they shouldn't be. Bad canes...lol)

13. Raspberries are easily propagated by pinning the tip of the cane to the ground, where you want it to root. Once it is rooted, sever the new start from the parent plant. You can also propagate from the sucker growths which come up around the parent plant.

source: thegardenhelper.com

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

16 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm going to have to send my daughter over here because she just planted a rasberry bush this year!

Lori said...

Things I didnt know...thanks for the info:)

Anonymous said...

will consider planting raspberries when we move to the farm, great list!

Becka said...

Are raspberries the ones with those out-of-control thorny bushes? Or is that blackberries?

Either way, we have a couple in our yard and I wish they'd go away! I hate pruning those buggers. LOL

~~Becka
http://beckasbabble.blogspot.com

God said...

Man! I'm learning so much today. Thanks for stopping by my bloggy blog.

The Rock Chick said...

I love to eat raspberries, but unfortunately, I have long since given up attempting to grow anything other than dandelions :)

I'm just dangerous with plants of any kind...

How nice it must be to have them right in your yard, though!!!

Happy TT!
Jessica The Rock Chick

JAM said...

It's hard to grow things in the sandy soil where we are, but fresh, home-grown raspberries sounds wonderful.

Dane Bramage said...

Alas, I have a brown thumb when it comes to plants. I killed an air plant once. You know the type that only needs air!

Thanks for visiting my T13 13 Photos of Horses and Hayrides Day at Church

L^2 said...

Yum, a raspberry bush would be great! My Sister has a mulberry bush, but it always seems to be ready for picking while she's on vacation.

Thanks for visiting my TT! :-)

Special K ~Toni said...

Now I want to plant them! thanks for all the info and for visiting me!

Susan Helene Gottfried said...

Mmmm. Raspberries.

I never knew any of this. Thanks for edjoomacatin' me!

Ms Eva said...

Thank you for stopping by my blog. I absolutely LOVE raspberries... the most perfect fruit! My mother had a raspberry bush when I was growing up and she forbade my brothers and I from eating them... they were all hers. But, we were known to sneak a few... who wouldn't?! :)

I see you're a triathlete and a scrapbooker... you can bet I'll be back to visit again. :)

Cindy Swanson said...

Wow, you really know your stuff! I love raspberries and raspberry-flavored stuff. Sounds wonderful.

Thanks for visiting my TT!

Jenny McB said...

I have the well-drained soil since we have sand 6-12 inches down, but not the rich soil. However, it does sound tempting to plant a bush.

Adena (aka cre82learn) said...

What an informative post!! I have grown blackberry bushes before but not raspberries. They were MUCH easier to care for than I thought and very soon will take over. My next quest is blueberry bushes...ummmm.

Anonymous said...

My favorite fruit and most are OVER RIPE in the grocery store...GREAT LIST!