Healthy new raspberry canes, with a sprinkling of sulphate of potash lightly forked in around them. How I wish they were mine, but following our persistent raspberry failure syndrome we're not rushing to try again. For the moment I can practise on my Dad's raspberries.
Perhaps it's our soil. Although the soil in these photos looks dark, that's only because of recent rain. Forking in the potash, I was struck by the difference. Here, it's light, slightly sandy, former farmland, river plain soil. At our Edinburgh allotment the soil is black, heavy, shot through with clay.
You can see my usual hit or miss approach when it comes to quantities. How much IS 25g per square metre, anyway? Perhaps this shot will be interesting to look back on in the summer. Will the third cane from the right turn out to be a poor, weak specimen? Will the one at the right with the generous application be a super-cane? Or will I have killed it with kindness?
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12 comments:
I thought the ability to grow good raspberries was instinctive in all Scots these days...
Hope someday to see photos of big, fat, juicy, red raspberries in your dad's garden.
I've said this before, but this time I mean it....I'm going to stay off facebook and get back to blogging. I miss it.
Happy 2012 to you, Linda!
donna
Mark, you surely mean that not only can we grow good raspberries, but that we can rustle up a 21st century defence force from nowhere, fund a higher standard of living than we have at the moment, be welcomed at top level diplomatic discussions on world issues...
Hi Donna, I don't have Facebook, but I can see that it can consume a lot of time! Come back to blogging!
Linda; I'm not a political person, so I couldn't possibly comment!
Actually, I could: I think this Devolution lark is bad for everyone. If the French can be best pals with the Germans, why can't the English and the Scots live together harmoniously? You can grow the raspberries and make the haggis; we'll grow the apples and make the pies!
I don't think it's the soil Linda as we grow ours of heavy clay and they are OK.
I wonder if it is some sort of disease in the soil - have you tried growing them in different places.
We had great raspberries in Orkney (peaty soil)and not through any expertise on our part. In Montrose the crop is good but the leaves always look a bit yellow. I've tried beefing up the sandy soil with compost etc but to no avail....
I too wish they were mine!! well good luck with your next batch !
Sue, we haven't tried moving the location at our plot. The thought of moving the posts is just too much of us just now! It's on the plan however for when we get ourselves organised. I think it's a particularly bad bit of soil where we have them at the moment.
Janet, yellow leaves have been a problem for us too. I tried feeding with iron, but it didn't do much. Montrose should be a good place for rasps!
Andrea, that's the wonderful thing about gardening, there's always a next time.
I can eat good rasberries (which are very hard to find here) very well. :) Such pretty/healthy canes.
And such pretty green stuff all around them!
This reminds me that I should work on my raspberry bed this spring! These raspberry canes look well cared for.
My patch of red raspberries have become out of control. I don't have rows anymore and it has become a huge patch. I may cut a path through the middle of it so I can get inside to pick and also to improve the plant quality.
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