How big is your fruit cage and what have you got in it?

[RunnerBean]

Hello all :) Glad to have my computer back, I've missed reading threads on here.

I'm still at the planning stages at my allotment. The whole plot is covered now (mixture of cardboard and carpet) so I'm reviewing my massive long lists of what I want to grow and trying to make them a bit more realistic

I've bought most of the stuff I need to build the fruit cage. There are already those metal cuff things in the ground but I'm thinking I might either try to move some (is this possible?) or buy a couple of new ones because I'm not sure if I need the fruit cage to be as big as it is. It's about 3x5 metres. There are 3 goji berry bushes in there that I'm going to keep, and I have raspberry canes and tons of strawberry plants, but that's it.

Anyway, I'd love to hear what everyone else does. Thanks

[ojay54]

Because of circumstances,dodgy health ,but mostly penury,I've planted the fruit before I put up the cage.I've a row of Gooseberries,then blackcurrants,then maincrop rasps then mixed row of red/white/blackcurrants then a raised bed of strawberries on bales,and finally a row of Autumn rasps.The rows are about 8metres wide and the whole thing takes about 10 metres depth of the garden.I'll probably use mostly scaffold poles for the structure,it's just a question of picking some up for the right money(free).Until then,individual netting on each row(pain in the neck).But,Hey,ain't fruit growing great?!

[Odsox]

Mine has been in the planning stage for about 18 months now, although I'm adamant that I will get it started and finished this winter.
I was given some industrial polytunnel hoops and that should make a nice permanent structure. I then plan to clad the bottom 4' with windbreak and cover the rest with conventional netting.
It's 7m x 5m and as it's 3m high in the middle I've already planted a cherry tree in the centre and there are some very rampant autumn fruiting raspberries at one end that need to be taken in hand.
Planned plantings are a tame blackberry, red gooseberries that have been "heeled in" for over a year, a Loganberry and just possibly another (later or earlier) cherry tree.

[diggernotdreamer]

I do have a fruitcage. It is about 10ft x 8ft. We built it when we first came here and I threw in a load of blackcurrant bushes and assorted raspberries (I lost labels in the move so didn't know which were which. I am too scared now to go into it, the blackcurrants are enormous, the raspberries are rampant and the stingers are taller than me, so all in all, it is a bit evil. This winter............... I'm going in, gonna be ruthless and dig out some of the currants, take out all the raspberries and put them in the hedgerow and see what they do. Then I'm going to put in some guttering or staging and put in strawberries, which I like better than raspberries and then have an extended cropping period following on from my strawberries in the tunnel. I like the idea of a cherry, can you grow them in a sort of fan rather than tall? I think I saw that once or did I imagine it?

[Odsox]

I like the idea of a cherry, can you grow them in a sort of fan rather than tall? I think I saw that once or did I imagine it?

Yes, you can train a cherry as a fan, and I can't see any reason why you couldn't train it as an espalier as well, although you would need to get a maiden 1 year old tree to allow lower branches to grow.
My cherry is on Gisela 5 rootstock that could grow to about 4m, so I will probably have to resort to training branches and some judicious pruning eventually.
At the moment it is 3 years old and about 2m tall.

[diggernotdreamer]

That is brilliant, thanks Tony, I think my fruit cage should be given over to more exciting fruit, I will give it a go. Can you recommend a variety of cherry please

[Odsox]

Sorry, can't really help with varieties. For starters I'm not that fussed with cherries, my OH is the one who would OD on them if she could, and secondly mine (Sunburst) hasn't fruited yet as I only planted it this spring.
As far as I'm concerned my Morello is the best, at least you can make cherry brandy if you can keep the blackbirds away.

[ojay54]

I know I'm always on about these people(and I honestly don't work for them!)but check out the Frank D Matthews site/catalogue.Many people round here grow cherries in tunnels,they like 'Penny','Celeste' and ,of course,Stella.I'm not sure if they can easily send overseas,but that can always be circumnavigated,as it were.

[RunnerBean]

Thanks everyone, I think I'm going to keep it 3x5 metres for now and just fill it with strawberries. If I run out of space then I'll just have to take on a full plot

[dave45]

Mine is about 3 x 5 metres ... raspberries and loganberries mainly. I messed up with the strawberries by letting them get too overgrown with weeds. The blitz-weeding experiment at the start of the season didn't really work, as by then the strawbs were too thin and weak.