A Trellis for Raspberry Plants

Growth Habits

• Red, black, purple and ever-bearing raspberries are planted four weeks before the last expected frost date in the spring. Soil should be worked to a depth of 8 to 12 inches with organic matter such as mature compost, rotten leaves, lawn clippings or aged manure. Raspberries should not be planted where tomatoes, potatoes or eggplant have been grown. Primocanes sprout and grow vigorously throughout the summer. Fruit grows on the canes during their second year.

T-trellis

• Raspberries are often grown in hedgerows using a T-trellis support. Each t-shaped crossbar of sturdy posts is 4 1/2 feet in height and 3 1/2 feet width. The posts are set 2 feet deep into the ground and anchored with wire. Heavy gauge wire is attached to each crossbar and stretched to the other crossbar. Raspberries are planted 2 feet apart under the stretched wire. The growing canes are attached with twine to the overhead wire and trained along its length.

V-trellis

• A v-shape trellis support system for raspberries uses two sturdy posts in a 30 degree angle at each end of a row. The posts should be 3 1/2 feet apart at the top of the V. Heavy gauge wire is then attached to each post and attached to the V-trellis post at the end of the row. The growing raspberry canes are tied to the wire for support. Mature plants are pruned each year to eliminate the old fruiting canes and allow the floricanes to produce fruit for the following year.

Single Pole System

• Sturdy posts set 4 feet apart along a row of planted raspberries provide a simple support system. Heavy gauge wire is either strung between the posts or used to wrap the raspberry canes around each post. Floricanes producing fruit in summer become heavy and need support. Trellised raspberries resist fungal diseases effectively as air circulates through the branches. The planted area should be kept weed-free by hand-pulling and light cultivation. Mulched soil also prevents weed growth and provides slow-release nutrients.