imred, I have struggled with the blacks as well. I've tried Jewel, Cumberland, Blackhawk, and Mac Black; all have ultimately failed. Soil in my region is notorious for being unable to maintain adequate potassium levels, so I wonder if that's some of the problem. I've been trying to establish a 100 ft row for about four years now and finally completed it last year with a local, unknown variety that survives. I abandoned the nursery-grown plants and started tip rooting this one. They were still thriving come winter, but I'll be curious to see how they came out of this winter. The ice damage here is unbelievable. I'm hoping the inch of ice on everything will at least protect from the sub zero temps. About a third of rural residents here are still without power; cleanup will take months. Hope you were spared. I remember you were nailed about 3 or 4 years ago. Brook

Glen, Are you sure the classes are only offered once a year? That sounds strange. Remember there are two types of pesticide licenses. One type is a commercial applicator's license. This license allows you to spray restricted use pesticides for pay. Most lawn/landscaping companies have personnel with this type of license. It is more involved and costs more money. The other type of license is a private applicator's license. This allows you to purchase RU pesticides to spray on your own property/crops (or spray your neighbor's without pay). This is less costly, involves less requirements, and lasts longer (in our state this license lasts for 5 years, whereas, a commercial license must be renewed every year). The University hosts the test for commercial licenses every once in a while, but for private applicator's, you can take the test anytime, by appointment, at the extension office. Cost 25 dollars. I don't believe Ferbam is restricted use (RU). I find there is a lot of confusion about what RU means. There are commercial products for "Ag Use only" but these are not RU, meaning you don't have to have an applicator's license to purchase or apply them. Anyone can purchase them, but, per the label, they are only supposed to be applied to crops intended for sale. Then there are RU products, which can only be purchased and applied by a certified applicator. The reason for this is that, according to the training materials, with RU products there can be an extra risk to the environment, and/or the applicator. RU products clearly say "Restricted Use Only" on the front of the label. RU products may, or may not be, "For Ag Use Only." You can hire someone to spray. Or if you know someone with a private applicator's license, they can treat the soil for you (Capture is used as a soil drench for crown borer. All Capture is, is a short lived pyrethroid) if they don't charge you for it. But if you plan to use RU pesticides, you ought to just get your own license. The training is informative and helpful for all pesticides in general. I wouldn't panic about getting your rasp. treated this year. I doubt it will kill them, but could make them unproductive (A neighbor tore his patch out because they quit producing, but I don't think he lost plants).

Raspberries are pretty hardy they should be just fine. Just don't overwater them :)

Mark, I second Glenn's recommendation of Triple crown blackberry. They taste great, have no thorns and are highly productive and disease resistant -- probably the most productive fruit in my garden. Like Glenn's, mine have gone berserk with fruit this year. Blackberries need to be trellised and pruned. I have a twenty foot row, with two 4X4 end posts with two wires stretched between them, one a few feet above the ground, the other about 5-6 up. I then tie the canes to the wires as they grow. Some people get into weaving the canes horizontally along the wires as they grow or separating next year's canes from this year's fruiting ones, but this is all too much work for me. You definitely do not want to weave growing blackberries through a cage or mesh as you might do with tomatoes. You will also need to space your blackberries out a bit. Mine are probably a bit too close, but I would say 3' between plants would be a good minimal distance. They will send up new canes each year, on which next year's crop will be produced. You prune off the old canes after the harvest -- some do it in fall, some wait until winter or even early spring. I am less big on Fall gold raspberries. I have had them for three years now, and this will be their final year. They are pretty productive and very vigorous plants, which in the case of raspberries means they are very invasive. If you plant them in your raised bed, they will end up taking up the whole raised bed in a few years unless you work hard to prevent it. They are delicate and very sweet tasting raspberries -- some like this, others find them a bit cloying; I tend to the latter view. Their main advantage, I think, is that they produce in fall at a time the birds and insect pests are not interested so don't require netting. (I have to net my blackberries to keep off the birds.) I have not grown black raspberries, but I believe their culture is similar to that of blackberries. I'd check out from the library Stella Otto's book "The Backyard Berry grower" for more information or go to the Cornell University web site and find their on line book on fruit growing. Sorry, I don't have a link offhand.