need help with berries

[littleminnie]

[img src="img.photobucket.com/albums/v426/Tamara1/2015%20garden/11058624_1021450197895460_726434114622618262_n_zpshoxleeaw.jpg" src="" alt=" "]
I planted 20 raspberries this spring. One variety has 9 up but the other only has 2. Should I contact the supplier or assume it was my fault? It was very muddy and deep when I planted them.

Also my 2014 planted day neutral strawberries have leaf spot. [img src="img.photobucket.com/albums/v426/Tamara1/2015%20garden/11391308_1021450171228796_3524012550290732075_n_zpsvie3s7zr.jpg" src="" alt=" "]
Should I just call it quits with them? They slowed way down now. I was thinking of taking the netting off them and the June bearing planted last year and let the deer trim them for me. I also have a bed of 2015 day neutrals I have been spraying and picking last to keep them clean.

[littleminnie]

here are the raspberries. I need to know if I should complain to Nourse or is it my fault. 9 of 10 Polka came up but only 2 of 10 Joan J.

[philagardener]

I had lot of trouble getting my first berries established, but once a few plants took hold, they took off!

Nourse has an excellent reputation (although I haven't ordered from them yet), so I would get in touch with them and see what they say. It doesn't sound like those Joan J. plants were in very good shape.

[steev]

On occasion, when I've been unhappy with a product, I've tried the "I've enjoyed your product so long, but something has happened; what could have gone wrong?" Always gotten a good response, there being no blame involved.

[longhorngardens]

I have had trouble getting raspberries established, but once they were....stand back.

[littleminnie]

Nourse replied that they would replace the dead ones in spring. There is no sign of life on them; not just slow growth. But I feel the stock was fine for planting so I wonder what happened.

[Al]

Soft fruit is something that has failed establish well for me from bare rooted transplants on several occasions. At the end of last year 15 strawberry plants all failed to show a single leaf, & raspberries canes threw up shoots, but then some plants died off.. These plants were ordered well in advance from a reputable seller. I put the failure down to cold wet conditions when the plants were very vulnerable & trying to send out vital first roots. So if Autumn planting again I would probably root under glass, maybe in containers.
Module grown strawberry plants I picked up at a supermarket this Spring (very cheap) have romped away & made lots of baby runners. And raspberry plants I grew from seed are doing well, so I will probably be wary of bare rooted transplants in the future & look for rooted plants or seed in future.

[raymondo]

Al, did you treat the raspberry seeds in any special way? Put them in the fridge or freezer for some length of time for example? I'd like to grow from seed.

[Al]

Raymondo. I sowed raspberry seed in gritty compost early winter, I intended to put a sheet of brown paper & glass over seed tray & leave in a shaded spot until Spring. I read that exposure to cold helps germination.
I actually let the tray get very wet, then stuck it in a plastic bag. Months went by & nothing happened. As a last ditch attempt to get a plant I brought the tray into the greenhouse; lo, a pair of tiny leaves appeared. Eventually I potted it on & abandoned the moss covered tray after cleaning up the compost a bit. Lo, more seedlings appeared which I eventually potted on. Again I raked over the surface a bit, & more seedlings quickly appeared.
After slow initial growth the plants are all growing really quickly, I suspect the sporadic germination may be due to covering the seed too deeply, whenever the compost was disturbed more seed was exposed to light & started into growth. Good luck.
My seed came from a Canadian eBay seller, the variety was sold as "Vancouver", & I suspect it might actually be a Tayberry. Time will tell.