RED RASPBERRIES

This project was started to demonstrate the practicality of growing a high-priced, u-pick fruit which could be cultivated on a small amount of land. Our planting is on 1/4 acre and took about 500 rooted plants to fill the plot. We started the year before planting the raspberries by putting in two crops...a summer crop of buckwheat to kill weeds, followed by a winter crop of rye. We put the raspberry plants in the following spring.

Our original planting 8 years ago...note the mulch of grass clippings and the cupped depressions around each plant to catch rainwater. The walkways were seeded with Dutch White Clover,which adds nitrogen to the planting.

Note the height difference in these plants which were mowed off in the fall and the plants on our front page.We stopped fall clear mowing and now only clip off the old fruit heads after all the leaves have fallen off. The clipped canes leaf out very early in the spring and send energy to the crowns, promoting the growth of new canes which bear heavily in late summer.

Raspberries ripening in the late summer sun.

Tip: No room for a greenhouse? You can grow fresh vegetables during the winter by using a wide-mouthed gallon jar. Try some untreated alfalfa or broccoli seed from you local health food store. Put only one tablespoon of seed into the jar, cover with warm water. Next morning, place a new handkerchief over the top and secure with a stout rubber band. Drain and store the water, it will be brown from dissolved nutrients. Twice each day, rinse the sprouts with warm water and drain. Leave the jar upended so all water will drain. They should be ready to eat in about 4-5 days.