How to Prepare Soil for Raspberries

Home-grown raspberries are a delicious, easy-to-grow addition to the home garden. Raspberries come in red, yellow, black and purple varieties and are commonly sold as cuttings or young transplants in nurseries. Depending on the size of your raspberry garden, you might consider installing a trellis system for support, increased quality and pest control. According to the Ohio State University Extension, establishing a raspberry garden usually takes about two years, but after this initial period, the planting will be productive for several years. Increase your chances of success with careful soil preparation.

Soil pH testing kit or soil sample
Garden gloves
10-10-10 fertilizer or ammonium nitrate
Mulching materials
Watering can

Instructions

- 1
  Find a planting site. Raspberries require full sun and plenty of room to grow. Root systems can extend up to 4 feet, and soil should have good drainage. Elevated soil plots are ideal. The soil site should be at least 300 feet away from wild blackberry or wild raspberry plants. Avoid planting raspberries in areas that have previously been used for tomatoes, potatoes or eggplants.
- 2
  Test the soil pH. You can either use a testing kit, available at nurseries and garden centers, or take a soil sample to your university extension office. Adjust pH if necessary. Raspberries prefer a soil pH range of 5.8 to 6.5.
- 3
  Remove weeds from the planting site.
- 4
  Fertilize raspberries at 10 and 40 days after planting. Use a 10-10-10 fertilizer or ammonium nitrate.
- 5
  Mulch raspberries with straw, leaves, lawn clippings, wood chips or sawdust if your soil is well-drained. Avoid applying mulch in dense soils, since this may increase the chances of root rot.
- 6
  Water the soil before planting, and once more after the raspberries have been transplanted. Raspberries usually need about 1 to 2 inches of water each week.

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