Finished da fruit cage

[JohnN]

Finally finished my 12 x 6 fruit cage, and have 1 goosegog, one blackcurrent, 6 raspberry canes and some strawberries ready for planting! (See earlier post).
Messrs Two Wests and Elliot were nice people to deal with and when I broke a joint they sent a replacement by the next morning, free of charge.
A tip for anyone building a similar "tube and net" cage: the netting, in my case 18 metres of it, came in a folded bundle and I thought 'Oh, dear, I can see myself getting in a mess with that as I try to string it round the uprights'. But I found an old piece of plastic drainpipe, spread the netting on the lawn, taped one end to the pipe and wound it all up into an easily managed roll. Worked a treat.
John N.

[Gadge]

John,

I have a fruit cage and have found it useful to also have 1 x thornless loganberry planted in the middle of the long side. This throws up very long canes which can then be tied up high on the cage well above any other fruit like Raspberries/strawbs.

You get masses of fruit for very little work - far more than you will get on all 6 of your raspberries. Taste is similar to raspberry but not so fine so ideal for cooking in pies/jam etc.

It is a two year cycle bramble so you just cut down the long canes after fruiting to 6" above ground level and tie up all the new years growth on the other side ready for fruiting next year. Alternating sides every year to separate the cycles.

Gadge

[JohnN]

Gadge,
Thanks for your Loganberry idea - sounds good. By 'two year cycle' do you mean it only provides fruit every other year? As we are late in life I think we'd like something a bit more often than that!
John N

[Johnboy]

Hi John,
I think what Gadge means is that Loganberry fruit on last years wood.
So you pick your crop this year and the new canes produced during this period are tied aside and when fruiting is finished this year you cut this wood out and the new shoots produced will give you next years fruit.
Normally you would grow to the left this year and to the right next year but as space is rather restricted for you you will have to hold them aside some way and when the old wood has been cut out thread this years wood in it's place.
JB.

[Gadge]

Johnboy has it exactly right.

Gadge