Back in April I planted 12 new raspberry canes: 6 Glen Ample, a mid-season variety and 6 Glen Doll, late season variety. I cannot say that they have been completely successful as only 4 canes have survived and I'm really not used to things I plant dying on me, however, the ones that have survived have been successful and are provided wonderful healthy raspberries already. The Glen Ample already has red fruit which taste delicious, and the Glen Doll is not far behind. Possibly I should have stopped the newly planted canes from flowering and fruiting so that they would concentrate on roots and getting strong, but you know how it is. I am still hopeful, despite the heavy losses, that next year I will get a reasonable crop and more canes will appear. The lovely thing is, and maybe this will happen again next year, they are providing raspberries just as the last of the first crop of
Polka raspberries has ended. Polka, a double-cropper, is now busy making flowers for autumn fruit and, weather-permitting, I might have even more to look forward to, to make my
Bircher muesli breakfast.
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| Mid-season raspberry, Glen Ample, safely behind netting |
The pruning of raspberry canes depends on the kind. Summer fruiting canes are cut down to the ground immediately after harvesting the last of the fruit, and strong new canes are tied to supports to flower the following year. Any weak and spindly canes should be removed. With autumn flowering raspberries, Primocanes, pruning is a bit different. They flower on canes which appear the same year as the fruit. The old, previous-year's canes should be cut down about February, when new canes will appear and fruit in the autumn.
However, Primocanes are often double-cropping, providing fruit in both summer and autumn if you prune them differently although this will impact on the size of autumn fruit.
Pruning Polka raspberries for a double crop. I have also been
growing Polka raspberry canes in a cordon fashion, and I have found this easier to access the fruit and keep the canes below the top of the six foot fence where the wind can knock their heads off!