Allotments 4 All
Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: davholla on October 13, 2018, 19:49:35
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Do they really need to be planted 5 ft apart that seems a lot?
Also can anyone suggest a type of raspberry which is good and fruits after the end of August?
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For Autumn Fruiting Raspberries I grow Joan J, they are amazing, a wonderful tasting raspberry and also make wonderful jam. My canes have been in 9 years now and will be replacing them with new stock, definitely buying the same canes again!
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I would agree with 5 foot apart for the gooseberries. Each bush will easily grow out by 2 foot all the way round, so that only leaves one foot to walk between them and prune and weed. Actually seems like a bit more might be a good idea.
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I planted mine about 4' or 4' 6" apart and they touch (just) but I don't need to move between them.
Joan J has been very good for me - large fruit in the first part of the season, still fruiting at the first frost - but this year they have not had enough water and have become shaded by an overhanging tree, so that's a winter job still to be done. I believe Joan J has been replaced by an "improved" version, so you may have to look beyond the mass market suppliers.
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Gooseberries respond well to pruning as cordons, doubles, triples , and fans, and the pruning regime can be done as a way of harvesting - then you can almost pick without gloves - certainly with only one glove.
You can save space between the rows and I think it's possible to get a bigger crop this way as long as you remember the extra feed & water - but who cares? - it's genuinely less work. The only downside is it's less winter work and a little extra when you pick - but you get to keep 99.9% of your blood inside you and your one cool hand will thank you in summer.
Cheers.
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Thank you all, presumably there should be nothing growing in this 5 foot space?
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I find keeping it clear so I can hoe is the best. But I am sure that there are other views :happy7:
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Here is another vote for Joan J. Properly cared for they will continue to produce fruit in good quantities and of good flavour too until the frosts arrive.
As for the gooseberries, why not try - as others have suggested - growing as cordons? It's not difficult and you have a lot of control over space requirements if that is an issue.
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Here is another vote for Joan J. Properly cared for they will continue to produce fruit in good quantities and of good flavour too until the frosts arrive.
As for the gooseberries, why not try - as others have suggested - growing as cordons? It's not difficult and you have a lot of control over space requirements if that is an issue.
Well I already have them as bushes.
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I find keeping it clear so I can hoe is the best. But I am sure that there are other views :happy7:
You could certainly grow salads or something like that.
In my case, I've got the Joan J encroaching ...
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Here is another vote for Joan J. Properly cared for they will continue to produce fruit in good quantities and of good flavour too until the frosts arrive.
As for the gooseberries, why not try - as others have suggested - growing as cordons? It's not difficult and you have a lot of control over space requirements if that is an issue.
Well I already have them as bushes.
Good point. But you can certainly control shape and growing habit of your bushes to a fair extent with careful pruning. Gooseberries are underrated in my view. Here's to your success!
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I find keeping it clear so I can hoe is the best. But I am sure that there are other views :happy7:
You could certainly grow salads or something like that.
In my case, I've got the Joan J encroaching ...
Has anyone ever done that? It sounds tricky.
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It sounds tricky.
Not really if you keep them within arm's length so that you do not catch the likes of your face on the bushes when sowing/planting/harvesting.
You can grow anything that is reasonably fast growing e.g Radish, Lettuce etc.
For example:
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