Help! Need ideas for pretty raspberry bed

[Owen'nZoe]

I casually mentioned to a coworker that I'd like to put in raspberries, and he unexpectedly showed up at work with two big buckets of canes. So excited, but I was so not prepared.

I don't have a spot dug yet, but the two places I was thinking of are along the lot line with my neighbors. How bad of an idea is that? (I do still want them to like us . Also, I need to make it pretty, because we are on a corner, and either location will be visible from the street.

Originally, I had planned to build a trellis for them, and make them kind of a living fence, with arborvitae between the trellises (DH really wants arborvitae, so I've been trying to think of a way to fit them in). Unfortunately, I just promised DH I wouldn't spend any more on the garden this month, so I don't have any money for the trellis, much less the trees, and need to make it nice looking right away.

Anyone here have creative ideas?

[cristeen]

I would research cane berries before committing to a plan. Everything I have read would indicate the use of a particular type of trellis (wire) rather than a standard "pretty" trellis. Because they have to be selectively cut back at the end of every growing season, and they have painful thorns, a decorative trellis is liable to be a lot of hassle.

That being said, a wire trellis is fairly unobtrusive when it's empty and perfectly decorative when it's loaded. And it can be made pretty cheaply.

Since you're thinking about putting them on the property line, I'd definitely do research on how to take care of them to prevent them getting out of hand or you're liable to have some cranky neighbors in a few years. Once they're in you're not liable to ever be able to move them. But in a few years, sharing the crop with them can help soothe any hard feelings.

Just realize that cane berries are a big commitment to take on if you want to maintain a "clean" yard. You have to train them to the trellis diligently - and they can grow fast during the summer (inches a day). You have to prune them at the end of every growing season. If you have lazy tendencies, I'd be more likely to put them in a more unobtrusive spot where the neighbors wouldn't get cranky about it.

[operamommy]

ITA with cristeen! I just had to dig out my raspberry plants this spring because I didn't realize just how invasive they were! I would definately be ready for a lot of work if you put them on the lot line.

[Owen'nZoe]

Thanks for the ideas, Christine! Unfortunately, there just aren't any unobtrusive places in my yard to put them. The whole thing is completely exposed, not just to my immediate neighbors, but also to the street. These are going to be visible regardless of where I put them.

The 'trellis' I had envisioned was going to be 2 4x4s. I figured I could get them about 6' long, bury them about a foot and a half (the deepest I can dig before hitting rock) about 5 or 6 feet apart, and string a heavy guage wire between them, maybe a foot 1/2 off the ground, and then 2 1/2 feet, etc. I'm not sure how much the wire will be, but the lumber will cost about $25 (4 of the 4x4's). I know it isn't a lot, but I just can't spend even that right now, you know? When you say wire trellis, is this what you mean? Or is it something else?