netting for my raspberries, etc

[salvation plot]

Hi

Im new on here, just started my allotment, and im in need of some netting for my fruit bushes, but i dont want to spend a fortune, can anyone recommend some suppliers for me please. Many thanks Tracy

[bantiekeeper]

Hi there,
Any plastic netting will do. Wilkinsons do a black net. Would avoid the green one as it is not easy to handle.
Do you know if your raspberries are Summer or Autumn fruiting? This will affect the way you support the plants.

[salvation plot]

Hi , thankyou for your reply, i did have a look at wilkinsons and i must admit they are fairly cheap, i get all my staging and progators from there, i have spring and autumn, i read that the autumn ones dont need as much as support as spring ones.

[bantiekeeper]

Hi there,
We grow only autumn fruiting varieties as we find them easier to manage.
They fruit on the current years wood and we cut the wole lot down to about 2" this time of year. They are supported by a 'T' shaped post each end of the row with wire strung from the ends of the cross pieces. This keeps the plants more or less upright and stops them sprawling across the path.
Before the new shoots appear we scatter chicken pellets along the row and cover it with woodchips or compost. This keeps the ground moist and feeds the plants at the same time.
Summer varieties fruit on the previous years wood. This new wood needs to be tied in to wires strung between posts in the autumn. Remove the previous years canes that have fruited.

[salvation plot]

Thankyou very much for the advice, im a beginner with an allotment so im in need of help, i have just heard today that i have been given a much bigger allotment so i have to move all my newly planted raspberries over, so i can support my autumn ones in a better way now, my new space is huge, so im now hunting for cheap veg and fruit bushes, its a mine feild on the internet, i spoke to one of the old gents over there and he told me to try alan romans seeds, and i must admit they are very cheap. now i have to re plan my new allotment and fill it up.