So I have tried to grow healthy raspberries here for years. I have no idea what I am doing as I have no idea what type of raspberries these are. Everbearing berry canes should be cut back to 1 ft tall right now... but summerbearing berry canes should only be cut back if they fruited last year.

So today, I decide that I am going to cut back all my canes. Because I have been assuming they are the summerbearing kind, but they don't really fruit. Well I keep finding green canes! So I stopped. I feel like I should just cut back the brown canes, but I really don't know if that will be what I need to do. Becuase I did that last year.

Plus, fertilizer. Goodness. What the heck do these guys need? I was about to dump straw with chicken poo in it on them, and then realised that I may get nothing but greenery with all that nitrogen.

Does it sound like I know too much for my own good but not enough to help?? It does to me. I am just confusing myself to death... and it is such a beautiful day! I want to be OUT doing stuff! All I have gotten to do so far is build one raised bed, move part of a pathway, cut deads, and rake leaves. Ok, well, I have gotten stuff done, but I wanted to get it ALL done.

Val

if you figure it out, please share. I want raspberries, and I've got no idea what they need.

I always just put compost on the beds in the spring, and that seemed to be good for them.

I always just cut what was brown to the ground, and then cut everything else back to 3 feet, or just inside the trellis height.

I called Seattle Tilth (Jody, their number is 206-633-0224) and brainstormed with the lady there. We figured out that my plants have been given too much nitrogen (green/composted) matter. They are producing mostly leaves. They ARE in the blackberry family. lol... they like poor conditions. Being ignored, and coming up in grass where the green grass takes all the nutriants out of the soil. Stuff like that. She says the only thing they really need is full sun, and enough water.

I planted them in 2/3 mushroom compost (horse manure) and 1/3 top soil. She said that that is about opposite of what they like (1/3 compost and 2/3 soil). So I need to ignore them this year. Give them nothing but browns (leaves, peatmoss, honestly nothing if I want to... the leaves are just to keep the water in), and then wait for them to do their thing. I may have to prune the tops of the canes so they leaf out. Because that is where I will get the most berries. The side shoots. But aside from that, she said, mulch, and ignore them this year. And I should get a better yeild of berries.

Val

I was just going to post that raspberries need to be ignored...and it can take years before you get a good yield...I don't remember the exact facts, but it can take something like up to 7 years before you have a fully producing patch.