Peter Clarke was guest speaker for the first ever HCFA workshop on soft fruit planting. One year and eight months, and a lot of weeding and mulching, on and Peter returned to survey the fruit and explain how to support and train the plants to produce a good annual crop. Above all we learnt that if soft fruit is well cared for it will last 10 years and is certainly not just for Christmas.

Weeding, mulching, applying potash, thinning out, supporting and of course harvesting are some of the main considerations gardeners need to take on board before taking on the responsibility of a raspberry plant.