Preparation for winter: Removing any canes and supports in your plot left from the summer crops, ensuring you store them safely and somewhere dry, such as garden storage areas.

Why is this? So that they can be re-used….you need to care for your canes, as they are technically caring for your plants. After use, you should make sure they are stored away; this will prevent rotting from the rain and snow, maintaining their sturdy structure to support your crops.

Cane fruits need little attention during the winter, other than making sure that the long canes are tied securely again to prevent them rocking or breaking in strong winds.

In February or early March you’ll need to cut down the old fruited stems of autumn-fruiting, to ground level.
Cutting your old caned fruits down as close to ground level as possible is crucial; so that buds will break from below the soil surface. If canes are not cut low enough, fruit may form on any remaining cane portion. These fruiting laterals aren’t healthy; they are entrances for the horrible insects and disease pathogens. Also, any fruits that do form are likely to rot, attracting pathogens and creating a source of inoculum for the late summer crop. In the warmer climates, pinching the primocanes in July to stimulate growth of laterals will delay fruiting. This is sometimes done to delay harvest until after the intense heat of July. In colder climates, pinching will delay harvest until after frost under high tunnels.

The timing of cane cutting is also important. From December through to February, most carbohydrates are in the crown, so this is the ideal time to cut canes and move them into your garden storage. Carbohydrates move from plant leaves into the crown in autumn and from the crown to the buds in early spring. If canes are cut before all the carbohydrates reach the crown in autumn, the new canes may not be as vigorous the following year. Canes can also be cut too late, after carbohydrates have moved into the buds. When cutting back old fruiting canes, do not leave old stubs.

Top tip when dealing with canes:

Safety first…grab yourself those useful cane-toppers, they are a simple way of preventing you from harming yourself which just sit on top of the cane, it is very easy when gardening to harm yourself on the canes, especially when you are on and around their height level.