Raspberries

I'm in the process of developing my gardening goals for 2014, but one thing I know for sure is that I want to learn more about how to take great care of the plants I already have. First and foremost, the raspberries.

I was so pleasantly surprised that the raspberry plants I got from my friend last spring did extremely well. Not a single one died, and they all produced a lot of delicious raspberries. The nicest thing was that they waited to ripen until we got back from vacation, so we didn't miss any of them. I want to be good to them in return.

My raspberry canes currently run along a fence that divides my side yard from my backyard and then along the side yard fence that divides my yard from my neighbor's. The guy that does her yard work tends to be brutal - cutting the grass extremely low, hacking away at perennials, and chopping off any bits of raspberry cane that peek through their side of the fence. I need to learn how to control these plants and keep them in the safety of my own yard.

That means pruning and training. Apparently (according to the University of Minnesota Extension's website, Raspberries for the home garden) I was supposed to have cut down the canes that produced fruit last year at the end of the summer (because I have summer-bearing plants), but I didn't know about that until just now. Looks like I can still do it early in the spring, although I might get reduced yields. Now I know better.

They also recommend fertilizing with ammonium nitrate, which I won't do. I will use some finished compost and some of the fertilizer mix I made two years ago, though. And maybe I'll plan to mulch with grass clippings to add more nitrogen.

Pollination helps produce a lot more fruit, so I wouldn't be surprised if the borage I planted next to the raspberries helped last year. The bees absolutely loved that stuff.

Here's my action plan for the raspberries this spring:

• Cut back the canes that produced fruit last year (I hope I'll be able to tell which ones to cut).
• Thin the new canes (primocanes) to 4-5 sturdy canes per foot. I don't think I'll actually need to thin them, but we'll see. If I do thin, I'll either extend the hedge down the fence line or make another row in the side yard. Probably the former.
• Tie up the canes. I can probably get away with tying them to the top of the fence. Then trim them to 12 inches above where they're tied. 
• Dress with finished compost and organic fertilizer.
• Water regularly.
• Plant borage near them again.