Hi everyone!
I'm new to these forums and looking for advice as I build up my garden. Currently I'm working on clearing an area that's lower that the rest (about 400 sq ft), where I intend to put a chicken coop and six chickens. I'll be erecting a fence around the outside of the lowered area, and I thought that maybe a nice way of making it hard for dogs to come and bother my chickens (dogs roam the neighborhood freely) would be to put some raspberry plants all around the outside of the fence.
I have lots of questions about this, the main one being, what kind of brambles would be the best fit for what I want? Basically, I want some natural barbed wire that bears nice berries. I don't like the hard seeds in the local blackberries that grow--I'll make jelly with them, but I'd rather plant brambles that will bear fruit with softer seeds so they can be eaten off the bushes.
Some background:
I've learned that I'm pretty much too late in the season to do this now. I live in Mt. Shasta, which is apparently zone 7. We sometimes have long winters (not this year, yay!) and it can get pretty cold, lots of snow. Summers get up in the hundreds but only for about two weeks. Mostly it hovers in the high eighties. Since they are saying we'll be having 80 degree weather this week I guess any bare root plants I might order would die from the shock of being planted.
Fair enough. When is the best time to plant brambles? I've read the fall on some sites and the early spring on others. We can have frosts as late as June.
Also, our soil is dry (even with regular watering) and on the acidic side. Is there a variety that would be better adapted?
Any other advice anyone has would be great. I can tell I'm going to nee guidance eventually to understand the right way to prune. This is especially the case since I want to use the plants as a barrier--the idea of mowing them completely as I've read here and there doesn't work for that goal.
Thanks in advance to all who respond!
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sophiarosehips
- Newly Registered
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Fri May 31, 2013 1:10 pm
Hi,
If you want an effective barrier then you would not go far wrong useing the Tays, logans and Blackbery vars.
But...you will have to prune them and train them carefully to keep them under tight control.
I don't know what support system you have in mind but one I would suggest is as follows.
Have good strong support stakes every 10ft or so.
Run three or four wires along these the lowest at knee hight or slightly lower. The top-most around shoulder hight for easy picking.
On the first couple of years of growing the new growing canes are tied in to the highest wires that they reach for picking.
Once the plants are established and growing strongly the new cane that grows each year is tied loosely onto the lowest wire dureing the year....this cane will not crop on its first growing year......this keeps it out of the way of the cropping older cane.
In the fall/winter. All the old cane is removed and this new cane can then be raised up and tied onto the higher wires.ready for the next years cropping.
This method keeps the whole plant tidy ...makes picking easier as there are no tangled masses...and you have control over how thick a barrier you want.
I would not use Raspberries. They would not give you such a thick barrier , and would require regular watering, but that's just a matter of opinion.
Plant in the fall or spring if the plants are bare root....but anytime if they are pot grown.
Water well while thay are establishing...but once they are well rooted. they will pretty much look after themselves except in very dry periods when an evening drink will benifit them and their fruit.
If you want an effective barrier then you would not go far wrong useing the Tays, logans and Blackbery vars.
But...you will have to prune them and train them carefully to keep them under tight control.
I don't know what support system you have in mind but one I would suggest is as follows.
Have good strong support stakes every 10ft or so.
Run three or four wires along these the lowest at knee hight or slightly lower. The top-most around shoulder hight for easy picking.
On the first couple of years of growing the new growing canes are tied in to the highest wires that they reach for picking.
Once the plants are established and growing strongly the new cane that grows each year is tied loosely onto the lowest wire dureing the year....this cane will not crop on its first growing year......this keeps it out of the way of the cropping older cane.
In the fall/winter. All the old cane is removed and this new cane can then be raised up and tied onto the higher wires.ready for the next years cropping.
This method keeps the whole plant tidy ...makes picking easier as there are no tangled masses...and you have control over how thick a barrier you want.
I would not use Raspberries. They would not give you such a thick barrier , and would require regular watering, but that's just a matter of opinion.
Plant in the fall or spring if the plants are bare root....but anytime if they are pot grown.
Water well while thay are establishing...but once they are well rooted. they will pretty much look after themselves except in very dry periods when an evening drink will benifit them and their fruit.
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sophiarosehips
- Newly Registered
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Fri May 31, 2013 1:10 pm
Wineberries would make a barrier ok..but they are a little tart in there taste and very vigorous in their growth. They will romp all over the place unless you are very carefull about keeping them under control.
Treat them the same way you would a main ( Florocane) variety so they will crop on two year old canes.
Treat them the same way you would a main ( Florocane) variety so they will crop on two year old canes.