[angelmum]

i bought few raspberries and strawberries plants in lidl but not sure whats the best thing to do. i've read that you can plant them autumn to winter time but with the frost and snow forecast would it still be ok to plant them out or should i just put them on small pots first and keep them inside then plant it out in february

please advise...

regards

[dormouse]

I'd get the raspberry canes in now. Read up on planting instructions. You don't want the ground too wet and sloppy and should add rotted manure or compost. Don't bury the roots too deep, a 3 inch deep trench would be fine.
Store the strawberry crowns in a dark cool place until spring.

[Greengage]

As above no further explaination required

[michael brenock]

There are two types of roots on raspberries, one is the feeder roots usually about two inches below the surface and the other are the propagating or extension roots usually about 8-10 inches below the surface. The raspberry canes need to be planted deep enough to have the feeder roots below soil level and try if possible to have the canes slightly deeper than their soil mark on the stems.
I would not recommend storing the strawberries in a dark place. I would plunge them ie. bury them complete with pot in soil with the crowns at soil level. They can be planted like this inside in a tunnel or glasshouse or outside. Strawberry plants are quite hardy.
michael brenock horticultural advisor (retired)

[dormouse]

Hi Michael. I also bought some of those Lidl crowns a while back. They didn't come potted up in soil. They are in sealed air-tight plastic boxes, with the roots bagged up in what looks like a peat/sand mix. In this case would it not be better to hold them somewhere like the bottom of a fridge rather than put them in cold wet soil at this time of year?
I also got a champaign red rhubarb crown at the same time which is packaged the same way. Would you recommend to plant it out now? The packaging says to plant in May which confuses me.
On the rapsberries, I just picked up some summer canes. These have nice well-developed one year old canes so that they will fruit this summer. I was told that growing them in a wigwam shape (3 canes per wigwam) works well. Would you have seen this before?
Thanks a lot for any advise.

[michael brenock]

rhubarb is quite hardy and can be planted now or in Spring. It can be stored in a cool place, fridge isquite suitable but keep it moist not wet. Plant out in March. Raspberry canes can be planted to form a wigwam, however they should not be allowed fruit in the first year. If planted in the wigwam formation there is no need to stake them.
michael brenock horticultural advisor (retired)

[dormouse]

Thanks so much Michael