Make a bed for raspberries (and blackberries)

raspberry bed

If you fancy growing your own raspberries (or blackberries) then it’s a good idea to get a bed ready for them while you’re waiting for your plants to arrive in a few weeks time. Ideally, you’d grow raspberries in two rows supporting them with a strong wire.  This is the best way to do it because it protects them from strong winds and they’ll grow well in this format. But don’t forget that they can be grown in pots, supported by bamboo canes, or along a fence quite happily too.

If you’re going for the two row approach we recommend each row is 1.5 foot wide, leaving 2 foot between rows to give yourself enough space to get between them in the summer to pick your berries. The length of the bed will depend on how many plants you’re planning to grow, planting canes at least 1-2 foot apart works well.

At the end of each row you’ll need to dig in a sturdy support post. This should be about 6 foot tall with two crossbars. Put the lower crossbar at 2 foot high, the higher crossbar at 5 foot high. You then need to run a strong (3mm at least) wire from one crossbar to the other along the full length of the row. When your raspberries are growing, you can tie the canes to the wires as they are tall enough.

Before planting, add plenty of organic matter to give your berries a good head start.