Allotments 4 All

 ???

Guy who had the plot before me took his canes with him. Now (in amongst a forest of weeds) I see raspberry type leaves! About a foot tall. Am about to liberate them and cosset appropriately.

Question is: what do I do? how best to look after them and when can I expect berries?

Ta

;)

Judging by my experience this year, nothing at all!  ;D
Though I guess they'd probably like to be freed from weeds and dosed with compost.

Main thing is to restrain them, possibly by setting tiles in the ground, since as you see they tend to spread from the root system once established. As for fruit I am discovering that there are a whole array of varieties which not only fruit at different times, but have different pruning preferences. Who knows, if they're an autumn fruiting type you might even get a few this year  :)

Following my last raspberry related post, I get the impression jennym knows rather more about them...

They like moist, well drained, loose, very slightly acidic soil. Put some well rotted manure around in winter.
Leave this one be and see if it fruits this year, If it does, its probably autumn fruiting variety. Cut it down to ground in winter if it is. This type sends up new shoots each spring and the fruit comes on these.
If it doesn't fruit, leave it alone, it's summer fruiting. It will fruit next year, and send up new canes, which you save for the following year. The old canes which have fruited get cut down in the autumn.
I don't do any form of restraint, any shoots you dont want are easy enough to dig up, and plant if you want more canes.
You may want to put up some posts and wire to stop them flopping about when they get tall.
:)

Thanks Jenny, free plants, great!

;)