Soft Fruit

[spudsmummy]

hi there
i am looking to grow some soft fruits, but have no idea where to start or what to buy even  ??? ???
i have tried doing a serch on here but have confused myself even more.

i am thinking about raspberry canes as a start but not sure what one to go for.

has anyone got any advice for me, please.  :)

Paula

[spudsmummy]

[daileg]

there is only one bit of advice worth giving with a question like this grow what you like no point because it looks good or someone else has it so should you .
ive got rasberries plums apples grapes want to try tangarines this year havent got round to it yet though

[saddad]

Go for an Autumn Rasp, like Autumn Bliss or Joan J as they fruit on this years wood and you just cut them all down at the end of the season... you can't cut out the wrong canes by mistake!!  ;D

[spudsmummy]

yes i see that there is no point in growing what we wont eat. i was thinking raspberries and grapes.

keep the advice comeing, i need alot of it lol  :D

[daileg]

rasberry Mailling Jewel 10 canes £8.95
Grapes boskop Glory and Madeleine Syvander £8.95 pack of 2
Goji Berry power fruit £2.95 each

try J parker good delivery aswell

[mat]

I agree, Autumn raspberries (I like Autumn Bliss) are great for beginners... they were my first fruit back in 1993... easy to grow, easy to maintain... and fruit from about August through to the first frost.  My rootstocks (plants) were still going strong when I sold my house in 2007

water well in summer during long hot spells to give the best fruiting (I tend to leave hose on for about an hour once a fortnight, so the water gets deep down to roots - avoids surface roots) though obviously in the first year, weekly watering until well established is required, but again, ensure lots of water each time to get water deep down into ground

As saddad has said, they fruit on current years canes.  some people say they can fruit on last years too in summer, but I found this reduced the autumn crop and reduced the vigour of the plant, I only did it once, never again.  

How I maintain them is after they have finished fruiting (after first frosts) I cut the canes down to about 2ft in height, to avoid them being rocked by winter wind.  in the spring, as soon as they start shooting, I cut these 2ft canes back down to the base.  I found this way, the bases were given a bit more protection over winter and I also felt the new canes were stronger (no idea why.)  As a tip though, the canes feel far less spiky when cutting them back after fruiting, than when they have dried in spring... so wear good gloves!!!  If you do leave some height to the canes over winter, you must cut them back to ground as soon as you see shoots (feb/march depending on location) - leave them any later and they waste energy in producing shoots on canes you will be cutting off.  If they are not going to be in your garden, but on an allotment, I suggest you follow the standard practice of cutting back to ground as soon as fruiting as finished.

In theory they don't need any supporting, but mine tended to grow to 5ft in height, so as I had them against 2 fencing panels in a row, I tied a simple string line in front of them to keep them upright, else they dropped to the ground during/after rain.  I did this at c.3ft in height

They send up a few suckers, but nothing to cause problems, either dig them out with some root and plant where you want them, or dig 'em up any old how and throw them.  Suckers never caused a problem in my garden.

Oh, and they are fruiting when raspberries are ridiculous prices in shops...

Have fun
mat

update - see my thread on the bargains site - follow the instructions and you'll get 3 canes for 48p...

[saddad]

Being in the deep south you will be able to grow a range of grapes. I've had sucess with Regent here... but I'd try a new seedless one like Lakemont if I were in Southampton..  :)

[spudsmummy]

thanks for thr replys so far  :)

i think i will go for autumn bliss raspberries and try a Lakemont grape then, now just where to buy them from and where to put them on the plot, hehe

any recomendations on rhubarb??

can you tell i am a complete newbie at all of this, lol

thanks again
Paula

[Barnowl]

Bit late sticking my oar in but there's a newish variety of autumn raspberry called Polka that looks very promising and has had good reviews. Have only just bought them myself so can't yet actually vouch for them. Available from several places including:

http://www.blackmoor.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=1213&osCsid=uttcv7slacul52mk3824s43eb3

http://www.keepers-nursery.co.uk/product.aspx?id=POLRAS&v=2

The Rhubarb varieties I chose last year were Champagne and Victoria - interested to know what others think.

[becs]

could I butt in with a raspberry questions please...  I have 1 autumn raspberry in a pot from last spring and have planted 3 more canes (in seperate pots!) for this year, again in pots. What is the best food to feed them with and when should I feed them?

thanks, becs

[Barnowl]

This is what the RHS has to say..

'Container growing

Single raspberry plants can be grown in 38cm (15in) diameter containers of 80 percent multipurpose compost and, to add weight for stability, 20 percent loam-based potting compost, training the canes up bamboo poles.
Keep the compost moist (using rainwater in hard water areas) and feed with a liquid general-purpose fertiliser on a monthly basis during the growing season.'

(Thanks for asking the question - I had a cane left over this year so have put it in a pot but kept forgetting to look up the care instructions. Also looks as if I need a bigger pot.)

[Barnowl]

Forgot to add that I've read somewhere that summer raspberries don't do too well in pots - perhaps because they fruit on the previous year's canes - and so it's best to use Autumn raspberries. Not sure how accurate this info is.

[saddad]

If you have a lot of room a jostaberry is good value...
:)

[Weed-Digga]

thanks for thr replys so far  :)


any recomendations on rhubarb??

I have seeds for a few different varieties of Rhubarb if you would like to try growing your very own babies!

Weed-Digga (also a Paula)

[STEVEB]

pick a sunny spot that your sure you want to keep your rhubarb in,in a area next to the shed that your not going to move.
i say that becouse in my 5 years ive moved plots around and altered all over the place

[tonybloke]

I'd say pick a shady spot for rhubarb, it's less likely to wilt in the summer , and because it is a C3 plant, it won't benefit from too much light.  ;)

[spudsmummy]

aww so much to think about now.

at the moment there is no shade at all on the plot but i am sure i could sort something out  ;)

i am now just trying to find the best deals on the things i want, i keep changing my mind lol

any more advice is welcome
thanks
Paula

[STEVEB]

tony bloke
whats a c3 plant?

[tonybloke]

a plant that converts CO2 into a 3 - carbon compound by using an enzyme called RUBISCO.http://www.rcsb.org/pdb/static.do?p=education_discussion/molecule_of_the_month/pdb11_1.html very efficient under cool and moist conditions, and under normal light. Most plants are C3 and evolved to suit these conditions.
  A C4 plant (maize) uses PEP Carboxylase to make  4-carbon compound, this allows faster uptake of CO2, and faster photosynthesis under bright light and high temperatures ;)