Merricat

Thank you. thank you. You just solved a couple of problems I have. What to do with a full sized barrel not in used in my yard and strawberry plant which container has deteriorated this past winter. This is an excellent idea.

Ianna

I have a confession to make: I'm a Problem-Solving Junkie. When someone asks me a gardening question and I can track down the answer, or when someone can use information I've found for myself, it's a huge perk-me-up.

Glad it helped, Ianna....and thanks for the smile. :-)

It was timely too. I was out in the yard, just wondering what to do with that huge barrel which someone gave to me. I didn't want it in the first place but my husband just couldnt say NO. Well I'm eager now to spot a good location for it and to prepare the strawberies.

By the way, what do you think of a raspberry cane & hanging strawberry combination? I admit it's an odd couple but I'm lacking in space and not have a lot of options.

Ianna

EEEK! *sorry, but when someone mentions raspberry canes, I tend to jump out of the way...those guys are SCARY!*

I grow HoneyQueens and Black Raspberry (not blackberries: our zone is too cold), and I gotta tell you: these guys could escape from Alcatraz, never mind my attempts to control them.

I've fought to keep them out of the rest of my garden, and it's going to be a fight to the death (mine or theirs...probably mine). They have tunnelled under 40 feet of driveway to pop up on the flowerbed on the other end; they have gone down into a concrete barrier set up by the town (something to do with the sewer system) and travelled along it until they could come up in the house across the street. THAT one blew me away! I'm the only one in this area with HoneyQueens (small town), so they're obviously mine.

Not that I'm not happy to share, but I'm starting to wonder what the town's policy is on small nuclear weopons. Then again, they'd probably just yawn and keep growing.

So, short answer: based on my experience, I DON'T think Strawbs and Rasps are a good combination. The Straws need to be de-runnered and tended (easy to do with the barrel); add the Rasps to the mix, and I can just imagine the battles.

But there IS a way.

I finally made a sort of peace with my own raspberry patches, thanks to a lovely elderly gentleman who lives a few streets down. He's been tending his patch for about 20 years, and they're orderly, well-behaved, and very fruitful. He taught me about pruning and training (in terms of raspberries, that is), and it's amazing how much neater and more controlled the plants are. The method uses a combination of posts and wire or nylon string, and the plants stay in a neat row that takes up little room but gives a nice harvest. This is the 2nd year I've tried it (first fruiting for some) and I can already see it's a great technique.

Try a Google search for Raspberry training, or head to your local library and take out PRUNING AND TRAINING, by Christopher Brickell and David Joyce. They have
a few books out; the one I bought is ISBN 1553630173. On page 232 there are diagrams and instructions on how to do the type of training I was taught. This was the book he recommended I get (it's really an amazing resource), and I'm glad I did. I'll use it for years.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,
- Merri

I built 2 strawberry barrels this year. The plants did well but now the leaves are turning red (Sept 8). Did this happen to the plants in your barrel? What do you think could be causing this? Do you think it's natural for the time of year?