I never understood the whole ‘allotment thing’ until a few weeks ago when my raspberries started coming up. Well, technically they are not ‘my’ raspberries as the straggly bush was already on our plot when we received the key in March. I was all ready to pull it out and burn it because I wanted a clean slate, a blank canvass, a pure plot. It was Granddad who persuaded us not to raze it down but rather let it be to assess if it was a summer or autumn fruiting variety.
Wonderful rubies on my allotment today
Nurtured, watered, weeded and yielding sweet rubies
So we have nurtured it. Watered it. Got stung weeding ’round it for the last few months but it’s all been worth it for the tiny rubies which have started to appear of late. On Sunday while my husband strimmed the nettles and the girls made mud pies, I spent an hour carefully picking each gemstone. It was hard not to eat any in the process but we had all agreed tastings of crop would be together. They were so sweet. Sweeter than any I have ever tasted. Each one savoured for a few moments to taste the sun that had beaten down on them relentlessly of late.
A bounty harvest in just an hour
To prune and when to prune?
We have but a few more weeks of fruit and then to prune. Must I?
I have grown to love the chaotic shrub and besides I’m scared of the spiteful thorns. I know I have to do it and I know the plant needs it. I’ve read that by limiting the number of ‘canes’, you force the energy of the root system to produce fruit on those left and but which ‘cane’ to cut and which to leave? I also understand that you give the plant more space to grow and there’s less likelihood of fungal diseases. It’s back to the old adage of needing to be cruel to be kind.
So do you have any pruning tips? Should I do it at all or let nature run its course?
Please do share your thoughts for I am an allotment novice and appreciate any advice. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy my sweet, sweet bounty with some creamy vanilla ice cream….
Tart, sweet, sour, creamy – too many textures to savour
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Reblogged this on Auntie Dogma's Garden Spot.
Yes as lovely as it may be you really need to prune it! Have a good look at the canes. With it being a summer fruiter the fruit will have been set on the canes that started growing last year. When no blossom or fruit is left it is readymto prune. You should have some newer canes growing. The new canes need leaving and the ones that have produced the fruit this year can be cut out. I find I usually have 4-6 new canes which I keep then cut back the old canes that fruited back to 3-4 inch (10cms). Then next year these new canes will give you the fruit to start all over again! Yum! Would love to know what you used them for, did you eat them fresh or did you save some for something special.
Thank you so much. I don’t understand a lot of what you said but thank you! I will go and investigate canes tomorrow and see if I can tell the difference between new and old! The raspberries from the weekend went with the ice cream and into the freezer for chocolate brownies that my girls took to school. Today’s are bound for bircher muesli and a raspberry frangipani tart tomorrow and then I think I might make soufflés with the rest as they’ll be squidgy by then!
Think I’ll come to yours for tea! Took me ages to understand pruning but once you get the hang of it it’s a doddle.
About 25 years ago I moved into a house which had a chaotic clump of raspberries and, like you, I wasn’t sure if I should prune or not – especially since they were pretty vicious. So I only gave them a token prune and the next year they were a pretty sad sight with very few raspberries and a fair bit of disease. So it’s definitely better to prune. This year has been one of the best I can remember for berries (around here at least) so don’t imagine that every year will give as good a crop without pruning. The best advice that I was given at the time was to ‘get rid of the old stuff and tie in the good new stuff’ but there are some instructional videos on the RHS site which give a bit more considered advice. I only grow autumn fruiting raspberries these days. They just need cutting right back to the ground every late winter/early spring, so they’re a lot easier than the summer fruiting variety. But don’t worry too much – even if you get it slightly wrong the first time, the chances are that the plant will get over it pretty quickly. Good luck.
Thank you for your words of experience! I’ll have a look at the videos. I am definitely better when someone demonstrates!
What a gorgeous harvest of raspberries! I don’t have green fingers but would love to be able to grow things other than a few herbs. Good luck on the pruning!
Thank you! I’m excited but frightened I’ll pull out the wrong thing.