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christinmk

Paging Annette- can I see that pic again please??

They Annette,
Do you think you could post that pic of how you train your raspberries again? I seem to recall you had one on a thread awhile back.

I'm contemplating ripping that crappy grass out in front and just putting some berry bushes out there. Thinking staking/training them might be better than letting them grow as they please, and also save a bit of space.
Thanks much!
CMK

Comments (11)

  • aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
    11 years ago

    Here you go :)

    This is what it looks like late winter/early spring

  • aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
    11 years ago

    CMK, hope this helps...

    These canes were woven around the wire in the fall when the canes were mature enough to not snap. You just keep weaving them around circling the wire. The brace in the middle is so you can snug up the wires without pulling the posts over.

    The new canes are allowed to grow up in the middle between the wires, the taller they grow the better more berries:).

    In the fall or after the berries are harvested the old canes are cut out.

    I always leave the job of weaving the new canes around the wires until about the end of October here.

    Annette

  • aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
    11 years ago

    This is what they look like a little later

  • aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
    11 years ago

    Oooops sorry for the double posting, this is what they look like after I've finished weaving the canes on the wire in the fall.

  • christinmk z5b eastern WA
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks sooo much Annette!!!! Really appreciate it ;-)

    I like that this method allows you to plant things at their "feet" as it were.
    CMK

  • Thyme2dig NH Zone 5
    11 years ago

    Make sure they have LOTS of thorns so you won't have anyone "helping themselves". Do you think you'll have any problems with them in the front yard?

    Annette, I really like your setup. Where in your yard is it located?

  • aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
    11 years ago

    Thyme they're in what I call my back 40 (40 steps from the back door). My back yard/garden is cut up into little sections, not really garden rooms but so you don't see it all at once.

    The raspberries are behind the greenhouse in a little section down by the house where I also have a raised bed cut into a bit of a slope (waist high at the front), where I grow my tomatoes and some of the beans I grow. There are a couple of other small beds for herbs and things I've heeled in waiting until they find a permanent home. Right now it's slated for a major overhaul, hopefully this year if I don't run out of steam. The greenhouse hides this little area from the rest of the garden, this is also where most of my compost bins are.

    Annette

  • christinmk z5b eastern WA
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    -Susan, they might to some extent. It would probably be strangers though, as the neighbors would ask first. I think the neighbors would say something though if they saw anyone doing it...

    -Annette, do you think something like wire fencing would also work to hold the berries up? Doubt I could weave them in the fence, but maybe tie them up? I'm not a very good woodworker you see, so whatever I end up doing has to be simple :-)
    CMK

  • aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
    11 years ago

    Hmmmmm, wire fencing might work, instead of weaving the canes around the wire you could bend and tie the canes to the top of the fencing.
    Two posts and a single wire would work too, work the canes along the wire from each end overlapping each other, the canes in the middle work back towards the ends, you could do it this way with the fencing too, does that make any sense?
    The thing is growing the canes horizontally at a comfortable height for you makes for easy picking. I also think you get more fruit than if you grew them straight up.

    Annette

  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    11 years ago

    I have seen support structures made out of plastic plumbing pipe, copper pipe (glued together, not soldered) or galvanized electrical conduit. Perhaps you can find some ideas on the web that could be adapted to your needs if you aren't comfortable with wood.

  • christinmk z5b eastern WA
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks Annette and nhbabs! Yeah, I still do need to look online for some design ideas (for the woodworking challenged, lol). It's in the front yard, so I'm not sure how good the plastic pipes would look. Metal would be fine, just not copper. In this area I think some idiot would rip it out, lol.
    CMK

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