Tip from the test garden

Growing raspberries doesn’t take a lot of room if you use a fencelike support. Start with two 7-foot-tall posts (either 4-by-4s or round ones 3 to 4 inches in diameter) of rot-resistant wood such as redwood or cedar. Set the posts 8 to 15 feet apart, depending on your space. Anchor them well with well-firmed soil. Then string galvanized 10- or 12-gauge wire between. Set out dormant bare-root plants, spacing them 2 to 3 feet apart.

Two Wire

1. Two-wire trellis. String one wire between the two posts at about 3 feet above the soil, the other 2 feet above the soil. Tie the canes to the two wires.

2. Four-wire hedgerow trellis. Nail two horizontal crosspieces, each about 8 inches long, to each vertical post. String four wires between the crosspieces as shown. No tying is necessary.