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Sunday, June 12, 2011

More perennials.

It was a tough day today. I spread who knows how much mulch from the gargantuan pile of wood chips to the wood racks at the north east side of my property (picture forthcoming). At any rate, time to discuss some more of the lazy gardener's best friends: perennials. These plants are easy! I'm talking so easy a child could do it. Moreover, these plants keep producing year after year with each year generally being better than the one before.




Last post I discussed blueberries, so this time it's going to be raspberries.


[raz-ber-ee, -buh-ree, rahz-]

-noun, plural -ries
1.  the fruit of any of several shrubs belonging to the genus Rubus, of the rose family, consisting of small and juicy red, black, or pale yellow drupelets forming a detachable cap about a convex receptacle.


These grow like weeds. I'm not kidding. While not as bad as their wild relative the blackberry, they'll take up all the space you allocate to them. Care for raspberries is very similar to blueberries, but I'll run down the specifics below.

Here are my raspberries.


That small thing over to the left is another raspberry, but of a different variety. I planted these in early spring this year and they have just exploded. I'll get a nice harvest once they really start bearing fruit. I've actually weeded and mulched the bed they're in today, but I'll save those pictures for later. On to the more important stuff!

Caring for raspberries is terrifically easy. Plant them in early spring and really soak the ground they're in. That'll make the roots extend really far both out and down. They'll also require a lot of water during the fruiting season. If you don't water them enough during that first year, you'll run into problems later on such as stunted growth (that means something less than an optimal production of fruit) and/or poor fruit quality. You don't want that. Trust me.

Raspberries prefer full sunlight. I planted mine on the south facing slope of my lot and they're loving it. I can't wait to start picking and eating their fruit. I've mentioned this before, but most fruits do well in acidic soil and this plant is no different. Some peat moss mixed in with topsoil and composted manure will produce explosive growth and eventually a veritable bounty of raspberries.

Raspberries are self-pollinating, so you don't -have- to plant another variety nearby. If you choose to do so, however, you'll be rewarded with not only more raspberries, but better raspberries overall. That's definitely something to consider if you have the space for it.

If their leaves come out pale small and yellow they're afflicted with what's called chlorosis (otherwise known as iron deficiency). If this happens, reduce the frequency of watering. If problems still persist after you've taken this step, add some Iron Sul or Sequestrene 138. Just pay attention to the directions on the bag and you should be golden.

Best of luck!

-James

25 comments:

  1. Hmmm. those look like they're growing pretty well. Good job!

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  2. I'm a big fan of stuff that doesnt require a lot of care. Raspberries definitely fit the bill.

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  3. Rasberries are my favorite division of the berry family.

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  4. Never saw it in my country. Are they good to eat?

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  5. All this berry posts are making me hungry for pies. I would plant more when i move into my new house soon. And your raspberries looks good man.

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  6. Aww, why did someone have to say pie... so hungry now lol

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  7. My grandma has the best mulch ever it smells like hot coco!

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  8. I've never saw that too. I bet is delicious.

    Hope someday I can taste some raspberries.

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  9. I tried this once, but I think I did something wrong...

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  10. Yummy! I love raspberries, but I'm not the type of person to plant them..

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  11. Gardening sounds like a lot of hard work man. Hope you get some more pics of your crop soon :)

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  12. aww that plant looks beautiful... and very tasty !

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  13. For some reason it never occurred to me to plant raspberries.

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  14. How are the raspberries? That sounds like something worth planting.

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  15. raspberries are very good. yum!

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  16. good to see a fellow gardener, followed! Check out my garden blog if you get the chance

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