Allotments 4 All

Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: marcusexeter on April 01, 2007, 19:44:56

Title: monty don 2 year old raspberry canes
Post by: marcusexeter on April 01, 2007, 19:44:56
hi - did anyone see Monty Don and his two year old raspberry canes? He said you can only get them mail order at the moment, they should fruit the same year as planting - they were about a metre long.
does anyone know who supplies these - grateful for your help! x
Title: Re: monty don 2 year old raspberry canes
Post by: daisymay on April 01, 2007, 20:05:20
no - but Ken Muir is good for fruit, so try the website?
Title: Re: monty don 2 year old raspberry canes
Post by: allaboutliverpool on April 01, 2007, 20:10:12
Raspberies fruit on last years new canes and if a garden centre is selling canes now, then they will fruit this year. The canes however will have been shortened to somewhat less than a metre to lessen wind damage and dehydration due to evaporation. They will also probably have been dug up during the preceding winter and re-potted into peat and the root system will be primitive.
I would not build up your hopes too high and accept what you get. The important thing is to manure well and nurture the new canes that spring from the ground this spring as they will provide next years fruit.
I will be covering raspberries shortly in my new website

http://www.allaboutliverpool.com/allaboutallotments1_homepage.html
Title: Re: monty don 2 year old raspberry canes
Post by: jennym on April 01, 2007, 21:57:10
The "2 year old" cane refers to summer fruiting raspberries, I am sure. Have posted previously explaining this, but it's worth repeating:

Summer fruiting types: Raspberries that fruit in summer 2006, do so on stems that were produced in the year 2005.
So, the stems that do produce fruit are cut down after they finish fruiting, and you must be careful to keep fresh stems that haven't fruited. These turn woody, and stand over winter 2006, and start to sprout leaves again come spring 2007, and then fruit.
At around the same time that they start to produce leaves, the new stems that will fruit in 2008 are also starting to push their way up.



Autumn fruiting types: Raspberries that fruit in autumn 2006, do so on stems which have freshly grown in  year 2006. Depending on where you are, the fresh stems start growing from around April 2006 onwards.
You cut back the stems that have fruited (down to soil level) either in early winter, say Dec 2006 or early spring, say Feb 2007 depending on your preference. I do it around mid Feb to early March. Then more new stems start to shoot in say, April 2007.
Title: Re: monty don 2 year old raspberry canes
Post by: allaboutliverpool on April 01, 2007, 23:00:25
Thanks for clarifying my posting. Monty Don probably did not make things clear. The main thing really is if you want to garden, be patent!
Title: Re: monty don 2 year old raspberry canes
Post by: Barnowl on April 02, 2007, 02:31:20
We planted Tiny Tims, an autumn fruiting variety, that had been grown in pots in May last year and got a decent crop off them.

Nothing from the canes bought from Garden centre and planted at the same time, so don't bank on the theory that because they are selling them they'll fruit.

=Raspberries]http://www.giftsthatgrow.co.uk/products.php?product[]=Raspberries (http://www.giftsthatgrow.co.uk/products.php?product[)
Title: Re: monty don 2 year old raspberry canes
Post by: amanda21 on April 02, 2007, 07:33:20
I'm sure they were Autumn Bliss he was moving/cutting down on Friday as I remember thinking "that's what I've got" and I hadn't cut them down.  I got them from garden centre in the autumn as stems of about a foot long in a pot - I don't know whether or not to cut them right down as he did (although he said it was late and they might not fruit) or leave them at a foot high?
Title: Re: monty don 2 year old raspberry canes
Post by: Melbourne12 on April 02, 2007, 09:00:56
We ordered some raspberries (amongst other things) from these guys http://www.blackmoor.co.uk/index.php ansd they were very superior canes indeed.  Far better than ones from Ken Muir which we'd planted the previous season of which only two survived.

So late though it is, you might still be lucky this year.
Title: Re: monty don 2 year old raspberry canes
Post by: jennym on April 02, 2007, 11:44:12
Quote from: amanda21 on April 02, 2007, 07:33:20
I'm sure they were Autumn Bliss he was moving/cutting down on Friday as I remember thinking "that's what I've got" and I hadn't cut them down.  I got them from garden centre in the autumn as stems of about a foot long in a pot - I don't know whether or not to cut them right down as he did (although he said it was late and they might not fruit) or leave them at a foot high?

Why don't you cut half  of them right down (leave any fresh growth at the base alone) and leave the other half as they are and observe what happens. The ones you leave standing will probably fruit a little earlier, the ones you cut down will fruit this year, I'm sure. Be brave! My autumn fruiting Joan J were only cut down about 3 weeks ago, so no problem I'm sure.
Title: Re: monty don 2 year old raspberry canes
Post by: Barnowl on April 02, 2007, 12:22:20
Quote from: Barnowl on April 02, 2007, 02:31:20
We planted Tiny Tims, an autumn fruiting variety, that had been grown in pots in May last year and got a decent crop off them.


Sorry, messed up the link:

gifts that grow (http://www.giftsthatgrow.co.uk/products.php?product=Raspberries)

A bit pricy but it was nearly June by the time we had cleared that area so we had to go container grown. Tthey're actually late summer rather than autumn and have a long cropping period, but pruned as autumn.