Raspberry Malling Leo (Rubus idaeus) Fruit Bush 3ltr Pot

About Raspberry Malling Leo 5's

The last of the summer varieties to bear fruit making it idea lfor extending the season. Large firm fruits with a superb aromatic flavour. The berries are a strong orange-red colour. Although not the heaviest of croppers, the cane are tall and vigorous with good resistance to both aphid and botrytis. Good for freezing.

• Self fertile
• Planting Distance 45cm apart
• Hieght & Spread 80m x 50cm
• Crops July/ August

An ideal fruit to grow in a container or small garden, the raspberry is a British classic. The malling leo is a hardy and easy to grow late-summer variety that produces fruit from july to late august, great for new growers and expert cooks alike. Thick woody stems produce light green serrated leaves and dangling clusters of orange-red, aromatic fruit. A great and refreshing fruit that goes well with yogurt, ice cream or on its own the sweet juice of the raspberry goes amazing well with lemonade or if crushed up with gin and tonic water.

How to look after your raspberries

Raspberries prefer moist, well-drained soil in full sun, or light shade. Feed with a liquid fertilizer once in the spring to encourage a good yield. Repot every 2-3 years into the same pot or slightly larger. Trim back some of the roots and tease away the old soil replacing it with fresh compost. Trim twice-yearly and in July, trim all new side shoots to 5 leaves. In winter, cut back main stems by half and any side shoots back to 2 buds. Any stems that are damaged, dead or out of place can also be removed.

How do you harvest raspberries?

Raspberries can be picked in early to mid-summer, the plant will produce small white or pink flowers that will soon fall off to reveal the young fruit. Over the next few months, the fruit will grow inside and change from green to black. Once the whole fruit has gone wine-red you can harvest the fruit by pinching it and twisting it off the stem. Avoid pulling the fruit as it may not come off completely.

How do you store raspberries?

Once picked a raspberry will not last long. If you want to preserve your fruits for longer you can either blend the fruits into a thick juice which you can freeze or freeze whole fruits in an airtight b