Could you give me some advice about my autumn- fruiting raspberries, Autumn Bliss. In February I cut the main canes to the ground, only to find small non-fruiting canes springing up beside them and affecting the size of the crop. Should I have pulled them out as they became visible? And what do I do now?

M. Penrose, Plymouth

Don’t worry, nothing is lost. All the growth of autumn raspberries is cut to the ground at the end of every winter; no over-winter tying to wires for them. They crop at the end of the new season’s growth. But you should pull away suckers that appear away from the main crowns to focus the plant’s energies on fruit production on the stronger canes. Even in the main clumps, you can pull off really wimpish canes. Hoeing or rough weeding is the usual cause of heavy suckering, which is why it is advisable to apply a light mulch to the root area, as well as giving artificial feeds.

The compost in my compost bins is ready to be used, but it contains millions of ants. Should I use the compost, risking the spread of ant colonies in my garden, or should I dispose of it all, and hope that it does not happen next time?

J. Chapman, Colchester, Essex

Spread away. Ants get about anyway and if they like their new homes so much, the chances are that they would have found them anyway. But compost heaps do make great refuges for many creatures. I once found a nest of slow worms in mine.

stephen.anderton@thetimes.co.uk

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