Had to heel in a dozen raspberries and 2 gooseberries last weekend as the ground I intended to use was frozen solid where I had dug it over the week previous.
Not sure if I am going to be able to get back this weekend so my question is - how long can I leave these heeled in ? Also, I left the raspberries as a group - is that OK or should I have separated them ?
Thanks chaps & chapesses :)
They should be fine as they are. Better than leaving them in the bags. You can get them in as soon as we get a bit of milder weather.
They should be fine till you can get round to planting them out .Preferably before mid Jan. If the rasps roots get entwined, put the group in a bucket of water and tease roots out from one another .
Thanks - that was the answer I was hoping for :)
Away over Xmas so it might be early Jan before I get chance to plant the properly
I have had to do the same as we are taking on a plot for the fruit and its not ready yet.
If you want to warm the soil up a bit cover it in black plastic for a week or so, this will warm it up so you and plant them out.
I've just took the black plastic off the area to prepare. Got it all dug over ready for manure and it was frozen solid last weekend !
Put some cardboard underneath it, the plastic will keep it all dry :)
Hi. We've just been allocated a 1/2 plot. We were there on Friday doing some clearing up. There is a lot of couch grass & bind weed that we need to deal with. There are quite a lot of Autumn fruiting raspberries that need moving. ATM they are between 2 plots. Brother in law suggested getting rid of everything as we don't know how are they are or if they are any good. There are 2 blackcurrant bushes, a few s/berries, lots of r/berries & about 6 rhubarb crowns. He is a qualified gardener with years of experience. What do you think?
Janet.
Quote from: grannyjanny on December 13, 2008, 20:23:48
Hi. We've just been allocated a 1/2 plot. We were there on Friday doing some clearing up. There is a lot of couch grass & bind weed that we need to deal with. There are quite a lot of Autumn fruiting raspberries that need moving. ATM they are between 2 plots. Brother in law suggested getting rid of everything as we don't know how are they are or if they are any good. There are 2 blackcurrant bushes, a few s/berries, lots of r/berries & about 6 rhubarb crowns. He is a qualified gardener with years of experience. What do you think?
Janet.
Unless I knew for certain that there was something wrong with them then I think I'd be inclinded to give them at least one season before I got rid of them. Waste not, want not. :)
G x
If they're healthy and just neglected, keep them. They're likely to give you a crop next year which you won't get from new young plants.
Keep the new runners from the raspberries and strawberries they are fresh plants and if the blackcurrants are healthy but need a prune they should be fine, have a look at the buds if they are swollen or distorted burn them !! I the rasp canes have brown ded patches on the stems they have a virus, but if there ok why ditch them ???