Kitchen Garden Forum

I am going to make some supports for my new raspberry canes (Glen Ample). I have got some Metaposts and 1.8 m lengths of timber. Do I need to have any supports at the base - additional bits of wood nailed/screwed at an angle to the uprights? If yes, how far up should they be? And should they be level with the soil surface or go in a bit? I want this to look good and not have the "old boys" smirking at me.

Also, is the (quite expensive) gripple wire tensioning system in the Ken Muir catalogue worth buying?

Hello Binky
Yes - you should try to give some extra support to the end posts otherwise the whole system will lose tension and lean towards its centre. I have short posts driven in about 2 ft outside each of the end posts with a tensioning wire to the top of each main end post. Keeping this wire taught keeps the supporting wires in the row fairly straight. I did think about a short post angled against the end posts but this would have obstructed the plants growing in the row.

As far as tensioning is concerned the cheapest things to use are eye bolts - these have a long thread and nut on them to take up a lot of slack. Another very useful and clever device is what's called a turnbuckle - this has either a hook or eye bolt at each end with a thick metal loop between. You connect up the wires then turn the centre of the buckle which simply draws the ends together. Any good diy place or builders merchants should have this stuff and the 'old boys' would surely be impressed that you've been down to the builders' yard to get what you need! They would also have rolls of galvanised wire that you will also need.
Don't know anything about the Ken Muir system except that most of his stuff seems very overpriced.

Hope this helps

John


PS Just found turnbuckle on the Screwfix site:

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/18048/Iro ... Q?ts=55046

to give you an idea of what they are like.

John: Thank you - this is exactly the help I needed. And thank you for introducing me to the screwfix website - so much stuff. I think I am going to try the turnbuckles.
Yours
Binky

I use these - you can sometimes find them cheaper than this

http://www.lbsgardenwarehouse.co.uk/pro ... e=1&jump=0