Cheap fruit bushes in Wilkinson's, want to grow in pots against north facing fence

[KarlB924]

One thing I am a bit confused about - I've had a look at this site [snip] and it says to plant the raspberry canes around 45cm apart, but if using pots plant 3 canes in a 30cm pot. Why is it okay to grow them so close together in pots but not in the ground? What will happen if I plant them closer together in the ground? And how many canes do people usually plant?

Thanks!

You can put them together closely because the roots can only grow so far, so the canes won't get as big or spread out as much. If you're putting them in the ground though, the roots will spread further, they'll put out more sucker canes etc. So it makes sense to give them a bit more room, because within a year or two they'll need that room. You'll end up with a cluster of canes in each spot, and a few popping up nearby.

[IndigoElectron]

Thanks all. Dorothy, maybe I will risk it with T&M, not decided yet.

Wbmkk, that's a great offer, we don't have an Aldi here but Lidl have a similar offer starting next week. I think I might have enough on my plate this year though, so maybe next year :-)

Thanks Karl, that makes sense, I have just about enough room to give them the space they need, so it's all good.