i only till in between the rows a couple times a season to kill the runners popping up there but the rows where the rasp. are growing haven’t been touched in 6 yrs. i just mulch them with wood chips every spring to keep the weeds out. i find the tilling in between the rows also lets some air get to the sides of the roots, helping the rasps. grow healthier. my father grew them like that for 30 yrs and never had any issues.
I put box cardboard, then wood chip mulch about4-6 inches thick. The weeds still came through by the end of the season.
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you got some super weeds. that usually stops them the 1st season. the creeping charlie tries to invade from the side the 2nd year. i zap it with herbicide.
I’ve done both not much difference IMO if you had sandy soil that need OM added it might be different. Raspberries are tough as nails and a Weed…be aware they will try and spread aggressively (mine go under a 1ft deep trench and try to invade) so I wouldn’t recommend planting a a garden be near other annuals (better off along a property line/bordered by grass etc so they’re easier to keep put)
Yes, Steve, we’ve got great weeds here—huge thistles, ragweed, milkweed, some other huge yellow things whose name I don’t know, etc.
probably goldenrod. here yarrow, chickweed, lambs quarters, dandelion and creeping charlie are the worst
Goldenrod sounds right. We have yarrow, too. The dandelions and creeping Charlie stay low, so don’t shade the bushes.
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I did the cardboard/woodchips method and had very few problems. I was generous with the cardboard and overlapped each piece 6-12 inches. Only had a few bits of grass or weed come through, all where cardboard was out of place. Overall it worked great. I have all the same weeds listed above. I collected a great deal of cardboard, though. I put a compost mound on top of the cardboard for planting beds. Blackberries did very well.
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great job!
How long does it take for the cardboard to breakdown under the new soil? I imagine one season is all it takes to smother the creepers and shoots.