Raspberries et al
Could anything be more delectable in the summertime than a dessert made of juicy raspberries and vanilla ice cream? Yummy!
Raspberries belong to the rose family and are closely related to another delectable berry- the strawberry. Back in the 1800s raspberries were valued for their medicinal use. They were used to clean teeth and sooth sore throats and sore eyes.
If you wish to grow raspberries, then it is important to note that they will begin to bear fruit once they are two to three years of age. Their life expectancy is relatively long- that of eight full crop years.
Conditions for Growing Raspberries
Raspberries require plenty of sunshine to grow. To grow to their full height they need at least six to eight hours of sun per day. Just as roses need plenty of sunshine, so do raspberries.
The soil the raspberries are planted in needs to contain plenty of moisture. A lack of moisture can cause your raspberry plants to grow small and be tough. This will not make them good for eating at all!
The more organic matter you can add to the soil the better. Compost or composted manure can do your raspberries a world of good. You will reap the benefits of the harvest if you add a generous portion of compost to your raspberries.
Planting Raspberries
When it comes to planting raspberries, the new canes should be positioned 18 inches apart in the rows. The rows themselves should be four inches apart if not a little more. This should leave you with six canes that are able to develop and grow to be as healthy as possible in each square foot of the row. In the spring you can weed out the canes that are weaker and will not grow to fruition.
How will you know when a raspberry is ripe for the picking? When it is time to go from garden to table you will know it because when you touch the berry and pull on it gently it will separate from the core. On the other hand, raspberries that are not ripe are hard and will not respond to a gentle tug.
However, you don’t want to wait too long to pick your berries. Berries that are too ripe will be far too soft and squishy and can crumble easily from the core.
