How to Grow Raspberries in a Hedge

Purchase rooted raspberry suckers, called handles, from your local garden store or from a mail order or online source. Handles come in 12 to 18 inch lengths. Soak them in water overnight before planting.

Fertilize your soil. The Colorado State University Extension website recommends using a blend of 4 pounds ammonium sulfate and 2 pounds of treble superphosphate per 1,000 square feet for good garden soil. For unknown soil, use a blend of 8 pounds ammonium sulfate, 4 pounds treble superphosphate, 1 pound zinc sulfate, 1 pound iron chelate and 10 bushels of organic matter per 1,000 square feet

Plant the handles in rows 5 to10 feet apart and space the plants 2 to 3 feet apart within the row. Suckers grow to fill in the row and form your hedge after one to two years.

Erect your trellis to support the raspberry canes. Stretch either a single wire between the posts about 3 feet above the ground or use a dual wire horizontal or vertical support. For a horizontal support, run two wires about 18 inches apart horizontally, attaching them to the end of the crosspieces. For a vertical support, run two wires vertically between the posts and tie the canes to the wires with soft twine or fabric.

Prune your raspberry hedges in the spring before any growth takes place by thinning the canes to eight to ten canes per 2 feet of row. Prune summer red raspberries again in the fall, removing the canes that bore fruit; the canes grow back in the spring.