Planting raspberries
Raspberry plants are available in late winter from nurseries, or by mail order, as freshly dug plants in bundles. They arrive in this bare-rooted state, so they will need to be planted as soon as possible. Well-maintained rows should continue cropping for ten years, so prepare the soil well before planting a fruitful investment for the years ahead. Raspberries simply require an open sunny site, preferably on well-drained, acid soil. Avoid chalky and alkaline soils that can lead to poor growth and yellowing leaves.
To work out how long the row will need to be, allow 4m (12ft) for every ten plants and a width of 90cm (3ft). To support the growing raspberries, use 7.5cm (3in) square posts cut to 3m (9ft) long. These are positioned 3m (9ft) apart and set into the ground 60cm (2ft) deep. Use screw eye bolts to make a fixing for the wires. These should be set at 75cm (30in), 1.1m (3.5ft) and 1.5m (5ft) from the ground.