Some background here:
First of all, I did not plan to be a raspberry grower. About twelve years ago I noticed the tiniest little shoot growing in the corner of my shed/patio and knew that it had been planted by a previous tenant. I thought to myself, "oh, a raspberry plant, what harm if I leave it to grow a little?" Well, twelve years later, as the picture shows, I have enough berries each summer to give away, use, freeze and even share with the birds.
This spring, after the snow melted, I saw that now my neighbour also has the tiniest little raspberry plants sprouting throughout his lawn, a good ten feet away from my patch.....panic set in quickly. Would I have to herbacide (not an option, personally) or, maybe, would I have to replace his lawn? Well, off to my local nursery to find out. Their solution: what jumps the boundary to the neighbor's yard is the neighbors problem.
Really? I asked. Really, they said. So I returned home with a plan. I would get up earlier than the neighbor each morning and pull the little offenders by hand. Soon enough, though, I realized full disclosure was needed as I could not actually enter the fenced off portion of his yard without explanation. His response: no worries, I will simply cut them with the lawn mower when I do the grass. O.K.
But, I ask, is it really true that my raspberry runaways are not my responsibility. Do I risk becoming that horrible gardener who guerrilla-plants the neighborhood?
Thus the tale of an unplanned raspberry patch. Note, this year I allowed some morning glory vines to get close to the raspberries and I have a sneaking feeling NEXT year there will start a new problem; maybe the morning glories and raspberries will have to fight it out; my money is on the vines winning unless I step in a pull, pull, pull.
oohh keep the raspberries!! make jam and bring it to me when you come visit. Blog looks awesome Mom. Love it.
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