Spaced out Raspberries

[JimmerG]

Hi all,

I've got 2 rows of raspberries, planted last year, one Glen Moy, the other is Autumn Bliss. I planted the plants about 2 feet apart, the rows were about a meters apart.

Now I get told by the local alloment guru that I could get another one or two plants in the 2 foot space between the existing plants.

Does this ound about right to you guys? How many could you cram into a 2 foot gap?

AND now I'm wondreing if I could fill these apparently huge gaps with different varieties of Raspberry - this shouldn't pose a problem - should it?

[coomber]

Yeah, I reckon you can squeeze in another 1 or 2 plants too - mine are less than a foot apart

[bobleponge]

Mine are as close as I can get them without messing about with the roots of existing ones. Much less than a foot apart I guess, same as coomber.
I currently only have one row and I have tried, where possible to have the summer fruiters at one end the autumn fruiters at the other, just to make pruning etc easier.
Planting different varieties next to each other wont harm them, so I shouldnt worry.

[Apple Betty]

You could plant more in the gaps but raspberries expand themselves and send up new shoots - in my previous garden my Autumn Bliss "walked" across the fruit cage and out the side. I planted some in this garden last year and already there are new shoots coming up between the rows!

[TonyF]

I wouldn't put any more in. As Betty says, raspberries throw out runner type roots and they'll fill the gaps in themselves, all you have to do is wait. Two feet between the plants at this stage seems about right, I've 4 raised beds of 3m x 1,5m with only 8 plants in each, two beds have been completely stocked with offshoots of the original bushes.

I'm not buying and planting any more, just going to let nature take its course.

[krazy_krok]

I wouldn't bother either, rapberry need a minimum of 45cm(a foot and a half) between them, less tahn this and they'll overcrowd when all the runners come up when there established

[JimmerG]

Thanks for you help guys - having actually measured the distances, it seems I've stuck the plants nearly 3 feet apart - so I've been out shopping , and got 5 All gold, which are excitingly yellow, to thread between my Autumn bliss, and 5 Glen ample, to go between my Glen Moy. So I reckon I'll have a good 4 months worth of Raspberries - can't wait to get them in the ground this weekend!

Now then - is realy true that Autumnn raspberries don't need support?

[Storming Norman]

All Gold and Autumn Bliss are related and are tidier than most so should not need support. I have just planted both and am relying on this advice - from one of the folks here, sorry can't remember who.

I am also trying out the advice I saw on Gardeners World last year and purchased old roofing slates to plant in front of the raspberries allocated space as I don't want them 'walking' too far in their bed into the gooseberry cordons I have in front of them. It will be interesting to see if this works or not.

Ann