Hi Jer-
Your Caroline's sound like their spreading out, which is normal for raspberries. In fact, I'm surprised that your Heritages didn't do the same thing. (Note: Raspberries really aren't a bush, but more of an interconnected bed of canes).

Containment of these spreading canes is always a challenge. For me, since mine are on the side of my lawn, my lawnmower actually does much of the containment for me. In other places, I have physical barriers. As to weather you want to thin those guys out, it really just depends on how big of a patch you want. If you want a big patch, then sure, let them grow. If you want a smaller patch then take 'em out. For me, I like long narrow patches... About a foot wide, so I can easily access the fruit from both sides. If you can't, then you'll miss berries, and they'll rot, yellow jackets will come, etc, etc.

As another part of the answer, yes, you do want to thin out your raspberry canes. You want nice big strong canes, and if you leave all those little canes in, you'll get smaller, thinner, weaker canes which won't be as productive. I usually thin mine to say 1-3 canes per square foot, but I'm not positive that's the recommended value.

Hope this helps,
-Glenn

Thanks for the info Glenn.

I see all these pictures of Raspberry "hedges" all neat and efficient looking and I thought that was probably the way to go. I just didn't want an unruly "patch" in the end. And boy was my first year plantings all neat & tidy. I thought (hoped) they over-wintered good, and that this year I'd have more "filling in" but WOW I had no idea how the whole area would explode like it has in year two!

I think it's a good thing, but with stuff coming up right around last years cut-down canes, as well as about every place else, I want to be sure I'm making the right moves once I do start removing some of the new growth. (I'm wanting to build a support trellis too)

My Heritage was a potted plant that was in about a 3 gal pot if I recall, and there were several canes at the time I planted it. Last year ahead of winter I loosened the soil on either side of the now more-or-less circular "patch", and tilled up a "row" and mulched it, etc. I see this year where new shoots are popping up in that area so I'm thinking I'll get there eventually. (I think I should have never bought a potted version and had I know anything I'd have got bare-root like I got from Nourse for my Caroline berries. Oh well...)

Well thanks again for taking the time to respond Glen, I'll get busy thinning!

Jer

I had a large row of Caroline by the house that I had to remove because it just became a huge overgrown jungle. I ended up building a smaller bed next to the lawn so i should be able to maintain it with the lawn mower. You really want access from both sides. That is the problem i had so I was getting all scratched up trying to get to the hidden berries.