What can and cannot be planted next to raspberries?

Few people know that raspberries are not even quite a berry. From a scientific point of view, it is a drupe, fruits that have grown together. And not everyone knows that raspberries are quite an antidepressant, they contain a lot of copper and other valuable components, which explains its usefulness even in the fight against depressive conditions.

Those who not only consume, but also grow raspberries may also not know the fundamentally important points about it. For example, the principles of neighborhood - with what you can plant raspberries next to, and which plant-neighbor is contraindicated for her.

For more than one century (and this is modestly speaking), people have been studying the compatibility of cultivated crops. And he does not just study: many patterns are well known. Tom was helped by long and well-organized observations, thanks to which it turned out that not all plants are friends. That some can suppress others, that the neighborhood can also be mutually aggressive. Plants often cannot grow nearby because they actively attract pests. For example, strawberries and raspberries in pairs create a forage base for the strawberry-raspberry weevil. That is, their combination is already dangerous. By the way, gooseberries and currants, which are often adjacent on the plot, will not "make friends" either.

Why it is still impossible to plant many plants nearby, so this is a struggle - for light, water, nutrients... If both cultures are facing a struggle to survive, one of them will die. The point is both in the root system and in its features: for example, the roots of some plants go deep, but the sucking roots (the main ones in nutrition) stay in the surface layer. And they can deprive a smaller and / or vulnerable plant that is nearby, nutrition.

Experienced summer residents know that the garden begins in the head. This is both the layout of the site and the markup (which at first may be on paper). Experienced gardeners know what joint planting is, what is crop compatibility.

Why joint plantings are effective:

• the spread and development of harmful insects is inhibited (some plants can act as natural repellents);
• the soil is not in a state of depletion, because the combined crops will take different nutrients from it;
• the taste of the fruit also becomes more expressive;
• the territory of the site is used with maximum rationality.

Raspberries also have neighbors: some are assessed as desirable, others as undesirable, and still others as neutral.... The raspberry itself is considered a culture with powerful, rather developed roots, and it is problematic to remove them. If you do not control the growth of the culture, the outgrowths very quickly "occupy" the site. And if the soil is not fertilized enough, this speed only grows: the bush will intensively seek food. Therefore, raspberries can destroy cultures with weak rhizomes, and it will not take much time for this.

Ideally, raspberries should be grown on their own or in the vicinity of related crops. Obviously, this is not very possible if the area of ​​the site is small, but some measures can be taken. For example, organize free access to the branches so that it is easy to cut them, so that it is convenient to pick berries. The soil under the bush should not be planted with anything.And also raspberries need to be provided with a neighborhood with plantings that are extremely compatible with it.

There are neutral cultures: they will not help raspberries, but they will not harm either. And when the choice is based on the principle of "two evils", it is better to focus on neutral cultures than to agree to a risky neighborhood. Neutral cultures:

• fruit trees - pear, plum and apple;
• flowers - calendula, barberry, and also carnation, rose;
• vegetables - beans, pumpkin, cabbage;
• spicy herbs - sage and mint;
• other shrubs - black currant, ezhemalina, gooseberries, lilacs, blackberries.

But some neighborhood can be called conditional. For example, the compatibility of raspberries with blackberries depends on a number of factors: the difficulty of pruning and harvesting. Both that culture and the other have approximately the same requirements for care, for the composition and condition of the soil. Both of them can grow very large, they have thorns. The person who will serve these shrubs will find it difficult if they grow close. Therefore, the width, sufficient for passage, collection, is taken into account in the first place. If it is possible to preserve it, the neighborhood will be completely neutral.

What next to plant raspberries for successful development:

• juniper;
• honeysuckle;
• tomatoes;
• Dill;
• cereals;
• legumes;
• certain types of roses and barberry.

Beans and cereals - excellent natural sources of nitrogenous compounds, they will have a beneficial effect on the growth of berries and their productivity, taste. The soil under such crops will be more nutritious, friable, and it will absorb moisture better. For berry bushes, moisture is especially important. If planting beans and grains as support for raspberries, it is best to do so in the aisles of the bushes. By the way, you can also fight weeds.

Plants that will scare away pests from raspberries:

• garlic and onions;
• marigold;
• red elderberry (practically the record holder for the number of phytoncides);
• basil;
• nettle;
• chamomile;
• tansy;
• pion;
• marjoram;
• yarrow;
• celery;
• coriander;
• fern;
• asters.

And these are very important neighbors, because pests are ruthless to raspberries. They are able to nullify all the efforts of the gardener. Of course, you can use chemicals and other special preparations, but nevertheless they cannot but affect the quality of the berries at all. And in order to spray less often (or not spray at all), you can pick up plants with an unpleasant smell for insects - they are all on the list above.

But caution does not hurt here either: for example, marigolds are the best pest guardians, but can dampen the growth of raspberries. Such a side effect is not always noticeable, the plants are often “friendly”, but you need to control it. With elderberry and garlic - the same precautions, you just need to be careful.

You can often see raspberries growing next to an apple tree.... This neighborhood, although considered neutral, still tends to a successful union.

Not without "evil" plants, the degree of their aggression against raspberries can be different. Some simply inhibit growth, and this becomes quickly noticeable, some seriously affect fertility, the rate of development of the raspberry tree. There are those who simply lure harmful insects to the bush.

These unwanted neighbors include: nasturtium, sea buckthorn, sorrel, radish, parsley, jasmine, strawberries, strawberries, blueberries, cherries, grapes, iris. In principle, raspberries will not tolerate close proximity either with them or with other crops. Therefore, it is recommended to keep the raspberry root zone at least one meter (or better by two) open from the middle.

Other helpful tips:

• raspberries grow well with almost any fruit trees, but they just don't get along with cherries at all - the fact is that the roots of the two cultures grow at the same level with each other, as if they will interfere;
• if raspberries were planted next to related shrubs (which is correct), you need to separate species with different ripening periods from each other - everything is simple here, while a person collects fruits from one bush, he injures the very frequency of staying next to a neighboring bush;
• it is worth remembering that the raspberry itself is a noble aggressor, and so that it does not harm other cultures, sorrel can be planted around the perimeter of the site;
• if someone nevertheless decided to plant raspberries and grapes next to each other, it is very likely that only the second crop will have a good harvest - it will "rob" raspberries, take away all the nutrients;
• dill does an excellent job of being an "animator" that attracts insects to raspberries - this is an important point for pollination;
• if you want to combine raspberries with currants, let it be at least one type of currant - red and black do not coexist well with each other;
• potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes can grow next to raspberries, in some cases they will help improve the taste of the berry.

It seems that raspberries are a rather capricious plant, and they themselves are capable of becoming an aggressor, and are demanding of neighbors. But still this is the case when tinkering definitely makes sense.