The previous gardener at my home planted raspberry canes in one corner of the back yard – with no root barrier. What was she thinking?!? 
Over the course of the summer, the canes have gone wild, and made significant inroads on the beds to either side, as well as invading the lawn. Today I got a pretty good harvest, but let's face it, the plants are more of a pain in the ass than the berries are a reward. Come fall, I'm going to pull out the whole mess, and probably spend the next several years pulling the stragglers. It won't be fun; they're thorny as hell.
I'll come over every day and pick raspberries and make you wonderful treats! puleeeze no ripping out berry berry good bush!
ReplyDeleteDitto what SteamyKItchen said--if I lived nearby, I'd be there everyday, harvesting those wonderful fresh berries for you. Or rather, for me.
ReplyDeleteAt the risk of sounding terribly dumb, what's a root barrier? I'm thinking of putting some raspberry cane in one of the less habitable corners of my yard...
ReplyDeleteOh, noooooo, don't pull out the raspberries! They may be unruly plants but those berries are so beautiful and so good. I'd love to have my own raspberry bushes. Blueberries too.
ReplyDeleteBuy a goat to help keep the plants in check! They can handle the thorns. Added bonus: Playmate for Sophie!
ReplyDeleteWow, raspberry fans! Y'all are in for some long commutes.
ReplyDeleteI will *consider* leaving some canes. But I will put in deep edging or other barrier to keep the roots from spreading, as is done with bamboo and other aggressive, shallow-rooted plants.
Lisa, if you have a good sunny corner, go for it. You also want to keep the plants from spreading too much because if the bed gets too deep, you can't reach the berries in the back through all the thorns.