Tuesday 24 May 2011

Bring back the cane

Strawberries are a bit like Queen. Everyone likes them, even your mum (especially your mum), always great at a party, but just not edgy enough. They were once, but not in your lifetime (apologies to anyone I've just alienated)

Raspberries however have bite, attitude and... lets just say a fruit that only needs to make a ripple in an ice cream and still have it named after them deserves respect.

And without a doubt I'm more attached to my raspberries than anything else I'm growing. The two things that have become obvious to me that I didn't really pay much attention to last year are:

1. Raspberries are bushy (technical term)
2. They need at least a year before you get some proper fruit.


A predator on my raspberry leaf?

I've heard rumours from 2 to 5 years before bumper harvests can appear. My suggestion is, as always, just stick 'em in the ground or in a big container and see what you get. Whoever lives in this flat after me will be damn lucky if I leave in the next year, but if I hadn't stuck canes in last year I wouldn't have killed my grumpy morning mood instantly with fresh raspberries in my porridge. And I'm no fun grumpy.

So, head over to get potting and see what you can do...

Crazy stem from this year's fresh raspberry growth







2 comments:

Laura said...

I totally whole heartedly agree in fact would even go so far as to say strawberries are overrated, other than the ones in season from the UK they are generally too watery and tasteless whereas the raspberry has a taste and depth of flavour that is exquisitely sublime. I have stupidly said that to so many people over the years that now they want to eat all the raspberries when I have them. I think more underhand tactics called for.

The Poet Herself said...

A big container, eh? I've been tempted over and over again to try them but thought they wouldn't thrive in a container. Instead, I went with 3 blueberry bushes and 10 strawberry plants. Now you're tempting me again. And I just saw some little bushes for sale (at the grocery store, of all places!) that are fruiting already... Hmmm...

The Hapless Kitchen Gardener

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I only feel hapless because some people make it look easy to grow 10 ft marrows or a banquet of greens whereas my courgettes got nabbed by killer slugs and I only got one raspberry. So tips and stories from people less hapless than I are more than welcome. As a disclaimer though, none of my comments should be taken as expert advice on which you can rely! © Unless stated otherwise, and with the exception of guest content where that guest retains copyright, all photos and posts are the copyright of Tom Carpen and may not be used without permission.