I think the spacing for new raspberries is something like 1 foot between plants and 3 between rows. They'll spread like crazy after a year or two. Unless they're potted plants, you most likely won't get any berries this year, and if you do, it won't be very many. A few handfuls at most. As for soil, lots of organic matter, well drained... That'll do it. For berries, Nourse is a great place to buy, especially raspberries. They've got blueberries and strawberries as well.

You are planning to plant only raspberries in the 4x30 bed? Wow, that's alot of berries. I think you will find in 4 years that it will be a giant, thorny, dense hedge of canes. Getting at the fruit in the middle will be an exercise in frustration and pain. Raspberries are best planted as single rows with about 1-1.5' spacing. After the end of the second season (and every season thereafter) you have to trim back the older canes. Every season you will start seeing new canes coming up out of seemingly nowhere. But homertherat is right, you probably won't see any this year.

I planted raspberries in a narrow space between my house and the neighbor's fence to keep kids from running through (inconvenient, but it works). I get a LOT of berries from 12 plants as long as I keep them pruned (of course they do spread). I cut the brown canes every spring and leave the green ones. My neighbor, on the other side of the fence also gets some nice berries from my bushes having wandered under his fence.

They are a very cost-effective crop, IMO, considering the price and quality of supermarket raspberries. They are very easy to grow.

I'm not sure which zone 10 you are in. I'm a California zone 10, so I can only comment on what has performed well for me. If you are a Florida zone 10, there may be other issues.

Sooo - I have tried several times to grow raspberries - a Heritage and a Baba Berry. Both of them were not happy here - for what reason? I would have to comment, that folks with acidic soil have success with raspberries that can't fail apparently. This also applies to blueberries here - unless your willing to acidify the soil. Our zone 10 soil is alkaline, due to minimal rain fall, and acid-loving plants need special attention.

I note you mention fruit trees - and I have had success so far with the low-chill varieties of apple and peach. The citrus, of course, loves our climate.

The vegetables you mention do well here - especially the cool crops. I do have problems with strawberries in my back yard, but they grow commercially nearby, so I'm thinking I will phase them out, especially because mine aren't doing as well as the commercial. Perhaps, because I don't give them the care they need to produce well.

One crop that I think worthy of mentioning - is the boysenberry. They make up for the raspberry and blueberries that I chose not to grow. They seem to like our alkaline soil better.

Bejay

Marin County, California Zone 10 :)

I bought 2 Heritage Raspberry plants today. They're everbearing so I am pretty sure I'll get fruit this year. I'll probably buy 1 more and put them in a 10' bed for this season. Next season I can expand if needed. Basically I want enough to last the winter, if possible. The wife and kids eat raspberry/strawberry smoothies every day and we buy a frozen 10lb bag once a month.

Also planted a bell pepper sprout today.

As for acidic soil, I plan on growing blueberries so I am planning on building a bed that will have the necessary PH level. I didn't invest in those babies today because they are $30 _each_. WOW (I'm apparently a cheapo :)

Any recommendations on a everbearing strawberry variety? I'd like to plant 15 - 20 plants.