IMHO, it's okay to put anything you want in your own potager. I've seen lots of articles on the web and in books and mags about pruning practices for raspberries to keep them under control. So as long as you're up to keeping them tamed, I say plant away.... I think a 2' bed is a good idea since it'll back to a fence. I did a 3' bed around my perimeter and it's really a stretch for my short arms to get the very back from the edge.

Thanks, thats what I was hoping
Tammy

I bought seed for raspberry, red and gold, don't plan to see any fruit for the first year or two, just experimenting, but I read they are for partial shade? My currents as well, so if you want to grow them, you shouldn't put them in full sun.

Thanks scarletdaisies. I didnt realize that.
Tammy

Our raspberries are planted along the outside of a chain link fence that surrounds the veggie garden with lawn on the other side of the patch. That way I can pick berries from both sides. Any suckers that grow into the lawn get mowed down, and any that grow in the veggie garden's path which is covered in straw are easily pulled up. We have latham too and they are not picky at all. They have been there for 15 years with just an occasional top dressing of compost or leaves, or a foliar spray of fish emulsion. They are in full sun too. Raspberries are supposed to not like wet feet in winter but I guess no one told our raspberries that. It is the low spot in the yard and often in standing water in late winter. Our biggest problem is the Japanese beetles that have appeared the last few years. They LOVE raspberries. When I go out to pick berries I have one bucket for berries and one with soapy water for the beetles. I have to pluck the little buggers off at least once a day for their whole season.

eeewwww! I hate those JB's. We have a big problem with them here as well. Thanks for the warning.
Tammy

Tammy- Where did you find your brandywine raspberries? Did you get them locally or were they a mail order?

I was surprised to find purple royalty rapsberries at a local nursery (I didn't think anyone here carried them) so I got five for the potager. They're going inside the garden, but I would like to get some brandywine raspberries to go on the outside, behind the little Peter Rabbit potager of mini-veggies. Brandywine are supposed to be very hardy and I'm hoping they'll look a little like blackberries :)

I believe I found them early in the season at Lowes.
tammy

I have raspberries in my potager and I am getting them out! They've been there for four year and are putting runners EVERYWHERE! I am going to put them outside the garden in an area I can mulch down both sides and not worry about them getting into the garden.

But I have to say...having them in the garden has been delicious and convenient :)

Tammy- Did you plant your raspberries with strawberries under them? I'm planting my purple royalty (finally) and I'm trying to decide if I should put strawberries under them or alyssum. I have strawberries under some blueberry bushes in another part of the garden...but who can resist more strawberries?

lavender_lass, i just put out one raspberry. It is supposed to get about 3 feet wide. I planted the strawberries out around it, leaving about 1.5 ft or so away from it. Then I spread dark mulch around everything. The raspberry bush is in the center of this bed, and there is a front edging of lettuce starting to show. I dont have much ornamentals in there yet. Will work on that as I go along. Still need to do the paths, and the gate.I also updated my blog with new pics of the potager for anyone that might be interested. Nothing to eat in there yet except a few sprigs of lettuce, and not even enough of that growing yet for a healthy serving,lol.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Potager Updates

Almost forgot, I did direct sow alyssum with the peas, but I think birds are eating the sprouts. Something is happening to them anyway. I now have a jug full of Allysum Royal Carpet waiting to be planted in the garden. I figured I would use allyssum everywhere except the bush beans and the strawberries. However, I like the idea of allysum around the strawberries. I think it would look very pretty. Just figured since the strawberries are perennial, i would use the mulch to keep down the weeds.
Tammy

Update 3 yrs later. I recently dug all y raspberries and plated them outside the potager. These things spread like wildfire. I was having sprouts popping up everywhere. Ideally i think I would like them in their own private spot, but for now I a testing them along the fence in the front of the potager.
Tammy

Had I read your post three years ago I would have done my best to convince you not to plant them with anything else. I keep my raspberries contained in a raised bed far, far away from anything else in the garden. And I live in California, where you can keep them contained simply by not watering around them, they have a hard time spreading into drought dried ground. In a place with more rainfall they could really escape and go wild. I always advise people to keep any bramble fruits (raspberry, blackberry, etc.) away from the garden. Strawberries, blueberries, currents, cranberries, or lingonberries are all welcome though, and many have ornamental value as well as tasty fruit. If you like things that are a little different you might want to check out a clove current, antioxidant-packed fruit and spicily scented flowers make it a favorite in my garden.

Thanks peachymomo. I did transplant them to the front of the potager, outside the fence. But after thinking on it more. I think I will move them to their own spot to the back of the yard,completely away from the potager. Birds stole all my string that I tied them up with anyway,lol
tammy

tammy - thanks for the update! :) Before I saw you had replied, I was going to show you before and after photos of my raspberry bed..... :) they certainly grow quickly.

I would still love to see your photo's lolauren.
Tammy

Ok. :) It might help others deciding to plant raspberries.



Last year, around this time with six tiny raspberry starts marked in red:

Today:

lolauren, thats one heck of a growth spurt. I have to say that one warning done in pics is worth more than any verbal warning. Mine one little plant just spread out to about 10 little plants. they didnt get near that lush.
They sure like their home.
Tammy

I am confident your plant would have done similar if given enough time, but our weather has been ideal for raspberries (90% of that growth is from this unusually hot season.)