With its many medicinal uses, raspberry leaf is actually in higher demand than raspberries themselves. Grow your own raspberry plants and you can have both the berries and the raspberry leaves.
Selecting a location
A privileged location will guarantee the maximum production of raspberry leaves. Choose a location with full sun, good drainage, and clay soil. A south facing slope is a good option. Cold air moves down the hill, so berry plants are less likely to freeze. Drainage is also essential. Since flooding is unlikely on a hill and water does not collect on a hill, the hillside is a good option. Notice how there tend to be wet spots at the bottom of the hill, places that never dry out. Do not plant in such places.
Also, don’t plant your raspberries where tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplants have just been grown. These vegetables attract a disease that would love to attack your raspberry plants.
Preparing the Soil
Raspberry plants will grow best where there has been cultivation for at least a year before. If this is not the case, you could spend a couple of years preparing your soil for planting time. Keep in mind that raspberry plants are perennial and will last up to twenty years. As a result, careful soil preparation will pay off in healthy plants and a bountiful harvest of raspberry leaves.
Add a lot of humus: compost, manure, decaying leaves. Dig deep to give the raspberry plant roots ample room to spread out and feed. This also ensures a healthy plant.
Selection of raspberry plants
If your main interest is raspberry leaves, you’re probably not worried about the varieties of berries available. If you’re interested, do some research. There are standard raspberries that give one harvest and always give two harvests per season.
To get the best harvest of raspberry leaves, make sure your plants are disease-free and have healthy stock. Check with your provider about this. If you don’t get a clear answer, find another dealer who will guarantee what you need for the best raspberry leaf production.
plant raspberries
Raspberry shoots should be planted at the same depth or slightly deeper than in the nursery. If your raspberry plant is in a pot, sink the root ball to the same depth it was in the pot and water thoroughly. Raspberry plants should be about thirty inches apart and rows should be at least nine feet apart. Raspberries need good circulation to thrive, don’t crowd them.
raspberry leaf harvest
Most raspberry seedlings will take two full growing seasons to develop into a formidable bush that produces many berries and leaves. Be patient. In the meantime, you can build up a nice collection of raspberry leaves by pruning the suckers that emerge from the raspberry roots. You will also want to prune your raspberry plants. These prunings produce more leaves than you think.