SWIHA Externship: 4 hours Research and Installation
Growing Raspberries in the Pacific Northwest can be fairly easy if you understand some basics. Anytime I'm interested in growing a food crop, I do research first. My way of researching is by searching on Google "How to Grow Raspberries". I always look for the links that lead to Organic growing because these give tips on keeping plants healthy naturally while supporting the Earth.
To be honest, I have no idea the actual type of Raspberries I have. I am a big fan of receiving healthy plant starts from friends so I got both red raspberries and champagne raspberry canes from a friend's organic patch. But like Richard Bach says in his book Illusions, "We teach best what we most need to learn." I realize I have a lot to learn about Raspberries but I know some things that I can share. First, you've got to have healthy soil. Healthy soil should be rich in color: a combination of rich organic matter that offers microorganisms for plant health. Soil also needs a good balance of clay to retain nutrients and sand so the soil can drain well. Too much sand dries out and can leach nutrients while too much clay can hold too much water and stress plants.
First, I picked a spot to place the raspberries that would benefit from full sun and neutral or slightly acidic soil. The ground had high clay content and didn't drain well so I decided to do raised beds on top of the clay. I started with soil on our property that was a good blend of clay, sand and organic matter. But the soil wasn't dark brown, more of a medium brown. I decided to add well-decayed compost to the beds and mix it in. Because I am making raised beds, I will mulch them to help keep the ground warmer and the moisture in.
Next I found some small canes that have come up from other canes, making sure they weren't flowering as not to shock them, and carefully transplanted them into my new garden beds. I placed the canes 2 feet apart, knowing they will shoot up new canes and fill in the bed. Then I created a cover for them to help reduce deer and rabbit nibbles.
I will fertilize them with worm compost in the fall/winter and cut back dead canes to promote new growth and bigger harvest next year. Because my raspberries are summer-bearing canes, growing the first season and producing fruit in the second, I will only cut the canes that have already produced fruit (which are easy to tell because the canes turn brown).
According to Organic Gardening.com, "In late winter, remove the smallest canes to leave three to six sturdy canes per 1 foot (30 cm) of row." This allows for healthier and more productive crop.
If your raspberries have any problems, Organic Gardening has a list of potential issues and how to address them safely. I haven't had any problems with my canes I planted last year, but if I do, I will immediately research it and use organic methods for healing the problem. One way to avoid pests and other problems is to START with Healthy soil and use Companion Planting which consists of planting crops that support healthy raspberries. These crops include Garlic and Tansy. Crops to Avoid planting next to Raspberries are Blackberries and Potatoes as they can introduce disease.
Having 4 kids, I have not seen a big enough crop to harvest for later use! But if you get so lucky, harvest berries in the morning when they are dry. Then carefully place them in the fridge or freezer, depending on what you want to do with them.
My plan is to ultimately expand my crop, then build a chicken coop, then fence in the crop so that the chicken run will include the raspberry beds. I have seen this done and it create an ongoing symbiotic relationship between the chickens and the berries!
If you choose to grow Raspberries, do some research, find some healthy chemical-free canes and have fun! Growing food can be informative and healing. I'm learning as I go and I know you can too!
Resources:
http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/growing-raspberries?page=0,1
http://www.almanac.com/plant/raspberries
http://www.unclelukes.com/companion-planting/companion-planting-chart
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