How to Stake Raspberries & Grow Them

Select a sunny, warm location for the raspberries. Spread 4 inches of manure or compost over the soil and dig it to a depth of 12 inches with a shovel. Add fertilizer labeled for raspberries or a balanced 10-10-10 product according to package directions.

Sink the 4-by-4 posts 12 inches deep into the ground as though at the corners of a rectangle, using the sledgehammer to drive them in securely. Space the posts 2 feet apart on the short end and as long as your patch lengthwise. Plant the raspberries, spacing them 3 feet apart. Stretch the wires tautly between the poles lengthwise and staple them into the poles with a staple gun. Stretch one length of wire 1 foot above the ground and another wire 12 inches above the first wire.

Secure a 48-inch pole in the ground and plant one raspberry plant next to it for an alternate staking method. As the plant grows, choose the six strongest canes and tie them to the stake loosely with twine. Remove the remaining canes at ground level with pruning shears. Prune the tips of the canes when they reach the top of the stake. Yields are decreased with this method, but it works well for gardeners with limited space.

Mulch the soil with a 2-inch layer of wood chips or straw to conserve moisture and keep weeds down. Fertilize the plants annually in early spring with a 10-10-10 fertilizer, following to package directions.

Cut the plants back until they are 6 inches high after planting them. Water them at least weekly to keep the soil evenly moist. Summer-bearing varieties, such as Latham, Titan and Willamette, produce their first crop the following summer on 2-year-old canes. Fall-bearing varieties, such as Heritage and Fall Red, produce a crop the first summer on new growth. After fruiting, cut all canes of fall-bearing varieties back to the ground. Remove old canes that have produced fruit from summer-bearing varieties in the fall, but leave the young canes intact. These canes will produce next year's crop.

Pull weeds by hand or cultivate the soil lightly so that you don't damage the shallow roots of the raspberry plants. Watch for diseases, characterized by yellowed, shriveled leaves or blackened, dead canes. Remove any diseased plant material promptly and destroy it. Contact a local county extension office if the disease is severe to positively identify it. The extension office should be able to recommend a fungicide to treat the disease.