How to Grow Raspberries
Selecting the Site
To make sure that you will be successful in growing raspberry, choose the site very carefully. It is preferable to select a site that has full coverage of sunlight. However, raspberries that are grown in partial shade can also bring good results.
Meanwhile, the soil should be sandy loams that are rich with compost and organic matter. Avoid areas that stay wet in spring time. Rather, pick a site that has regular access to a good supply of water.
You should avoid planting raspberries in areas where potatoes, eggplants, peppers or tomatoes have grown for the past 3–4 years. These crops contain a type of fungus known as Verticillium that can harm the raspberries. Also, tear down all wild raspberry plants within six hundred feet of your planting site to decrease the spread of viral diseases to your raspberry.
Raspberries Garden Site
You should place the raspberry in rows two feet apart. Moreover, while you are digging the hole, you should also be placing manure or fertilizers to the soil to enrich the planting site.
Do not forget to remove all the roots or weeds that will affect the roots of the raspberries. After digging and removing all the roots, you can now plant the roots of the raspberries. Cover the roots with up to eight centimeters of soil and a light covering of mulch. Always remember to keep the soil moistened in order for the raspberry roots to thrive.
Materials Required
Raspberry seeds
Fertilizer or rich compost
Watering Cans
Watering
Raspberries need plenty of water, particularly when they are bearing. They need more than one inch of water each week and more during hot weather conditions. Do not forget to water the raspberries during hot conditions since it can create serious problems in your planting.
Nutrients Needed
Raspberries flourish and grow best if planted in acidic soil that has a pH value between 5.6 to 6.2. Apply fertilizer after ten to fourteen days of planting. Place the fertilizers three to four inches away from canes and new shoots.
Seasons
During summer, you should prune the diseased, broken and dead raspberry plants. Cut the canes that have grown outside your designated plant area. For the month of November, you should cover the raspberries with leaves or straw up to six inches. But in spring time, you have to keep four inches of mulch covering to decrease the loss of soil moisture.
Harvesting
You are ready to pick the raspberries when they are easily separated from the core or receptacle. Raspberries are perishable, and this is why you have to harvest them often. However, you can maintain their good quality when you put the fruits in shallow containers at temperatures of about 33°F. If you maintain this temperature, you can expect a fresh quality to last from three days to a week.