Growing it that is, I eat my 5 a day! 8)
I'm looking to start growing some fruit along with my veg but not really sure where to start. I need some advice on the best types of fruit to grow, when to plant them and any special treatment they might need.
My garden has not got many sheltered areas but does get sunshine most of the day (its quite separate from the house so no shadows) and the soil is quite good, not too sandy or clay like.
Any tips welcome.
New to fruit
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Chrystal Tips
- margo - newbie
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2005 5:22 pm
- Location: Staffordshire
Well...I'm not qualified to speak from experience as I'm only one step ahead (I have one Victoria plum tree planted last winter which I'm training into a fan.), but I'd say that what grows easiest for one may not grow easily for another because it depends on what your local conditions are.
The amount of space you have obviously can dictate what fruit you can grow, though even the tiniest garden should be able to fit in some strawberries (providing they get some sun). Space is also related to whether or not the fruit in question is self-fertile - ie. with some varieties of fruit trees you need more than one (and it has to be a compatible one) otherwise you don't get any fruit, so you need to make sure you've got the space for at least two trees. However, remember that some fruit, like apples and pears, can be trained into cordons, fans etc. which take up much less space than a "typical" tree, and are often grown on dwarfing stock. You can even grow apples on "step-over" cordons and use them as edging to your veggie plot. You can get "fruit cocktail" trees where more than one compatible variety is grafted onto the same root stock to ensure you get pollination. Though you might have to go to a specialist fruit nursery to get those.
The amount of sun you get will also make a difference to what you can grow: unless you live in the south of England with a sunny, sunny oh so sheltered wall, preferably with space to build a greenhouse affair over them over the winter, forget about apricots! If you have only a north facing wall you might like to consider sour cherries - one of the few fruits which can grow and ripen on a north facing wall.
The bush fruits like currants, goosberries and raspberries are often cited as being easy, but again check the conditions you're going to be growing them in and the requirements for each one (eg. you have to prune the raspberry canes each year). Unless you have a vast acreage which you are intending to allow to become a wildlife sanctuary probably best to avoid blackberries! :) Blueberries are becoming common in Garden Centres but be aware that they require very acid soil so you'll probably have to grow them in a big pot with special attention. And much as I'd personally love to be able to grow cranberries - they're bog plants! In this country citrus trees have to be brought inside over the winter, and olives never really ripen, even in the south. Figs seem to grow well, particularly here in the South, but you only get one crop a year rather than the two you get in warmer climes...
Some fruit will take several years before they produce anything of worth (apples, plums etc), others will produce fruit from the word go (raspberries, currants, strawberries etc.) so decide if you want instant gratifiaction or if you're prepared to be in for the long haul.
So...to answer the question specifically....easy starters have to be things like strawberries. Buy a few plants in the early spring, plant them in 6" pots or in the ground, water and feed them (they like it slightly acid) and providing they get enough sun, but are not too hot, they will reward you with strawberries *and* runners which you can peg out into little 3" pots and next year you will have twice as many plants!
If you want the longer haul plants, as I see it you have two choices, nip down to Homebase this winter and get their £10 bare root fruit trees (the label will say how tall they grow and in what conditions), stick 'em in the ground and try them out, or find yourself a specialist fruit nursery and maybe look at getting a more established tree, maybe a "fruit cocktail" variety, or one that's already trained into a cordon, fan etc.. The latter will be much more expensive, but probably a safer bet. Either way, lookup your trees before you buy so you know if they're self fertile or if you need another compatible one. You might also want to lookup how to train them....for me that's part of the fun! :)
Just my 0.075 Euros...
[Ah...just noticed Shellie that you're in Australia! Um...I have no idea about what fruit grows well in Australia, but I suspect you can go for the more exotic varieties than we can here in Blightly!]
Alcina
The amount of space you have obviously can dictate what fruit you can grow, though even the tiniest garden should be able to fit in some strawberries (providing they get some sun). Space is also related to whether or not the fruit in question is self-fertile - ie. with some varieties of fruit trees you need more than one (and it has to be a compatible one) otherwise you don't get any fruit, so you need to make sure you've got the space for at least two trees. However, remember that some fruit, like apples and pears, can be trained into cordons, fans etc. which take up much less space than a "typical" tree, and are often grown on dwarfing stock. You can even grow apples on "step-over" cordons and use them as edging to your veggie plot. You can get "fruit cocktail" trees where more than one compatible variety is grafted onto the same root stock to ensure you get pollination. Though you might have to go to a specialist fruit nursery to get those.
The amount of sun you get will also make a difference to what you can grow: unless you live in the south of England with a sunny, sunny oh so sheltered wall, preferably with space to build a greenhouse affair over them over the winter, forget about apricots! If you have only a north facing wall you might like to consider sour cherries - one of the few fruits which can grow and ripen on a north facing wall.
The bush fruits like currants, goosberries and raspberries are often cited as being easy, but again check the conditions you're going to be growing them in and the requirements for each one (eg. you have to prune the raspberry canes each year). Unless you have a vast acreage which you are intending to allow to become a wildlife sanctuary probably best to avoid blackberries! :) Blueberries are becoming common in Garden Centres but be aware that they require very acid soil so you'll probably have to grow them in a big pot with special attention. And much as I'd personally love to be able to grow cranberries - they're bog plants! In this country citrus trees have to be brought inside over the winter, and olives never really ripen, even in the south. Figs seem to grow well, particularly here in the South, but you only get one crop a year rather than the two you get in warmer climes...
Some fruit will take several years before they produce anything of worth (apples, plums etc), others will produce fruit from the word go (raspberries, currants, strawberries etc.) so decide if you want instant gratifiaction or if you're prepared to be in for the long haul.
So...to answer the question specifically....easy starters have to be things like strawberries. Buy a few plants in the early spring, plant them in 6" pots or in the ground, water and feed them (they like it slightly acid) and providing they get enough sun, but are not too hot, they will reward you with strawberries *and* runners which you can peg out into little 3" pots and next year you will have twice as many plants!
If you want the longer haul plants, as I see it you have two choices, nip down to Homebase this winter and get their £10 bare root fruit trees (the label will say how tall they grow and in what conditions), stick 'em in the ground and try them out, or find yourself a specialist fruit nursery and maybe look at getting a more established tree, maybe a "fruit cocktail" variety, or one that's already trained into a cordon, fan etc.. The latter will be much more expensive, but probably a safer bet. Either way, lookup your trees before you buy so you know if they're self fertile or if you need another compatible one. You might also want to lookup how to train them....for me that's part of the fun! :)
Just my 0.075 Euros...
[Ah...just noticed Shellie that you're in Australia! Um...I have no idea about what fruit grows well in Australia, but I suspect you can go for the more exotic varieties than we can here in Blightly!]
Alcina
G'Day Shelle,
Almost any citrus is good, and most (if not all) stone fruit will get fruit fly, unless you dose them to death with chemicals! I battled for years with a peach tree and never did get fruit fly free - tried traps, garlic, all sorts of stuff even the attractant and poison mix - all to no avail! You might do well with some of the tropicals though - mango, paw paw etc.
Best of luck
Nev
Almost any citrus is good, and most (if not all) stone fruit will get fruit fly, unless you dose them to death with chemicals! I battled for years with a peach tree and never did get fruit fly free - tried traps, garlic, all sorts of stuff even the attractant and poison mix - all to no avail! You might do well with some of the tropicals though - mango, paw paw etc.
Best of luck
Nev
Garden shed technology rules! - Muddypause
Our website on living more sustainably in the suburbs! - http://www.underthechokotree.com/
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Millymollymandy
- A selfsufficientish Regular
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I have loads of peach trees and they all suffer from bacterial/fungal diseases (or is that the same thing?) - BUT - no bugs inside! Can't have it all I suppose!
Nev, is sulphur a bad thing to use? I was looking up about these diseases of peach trees; one problem there's not a lot you can do about but the other it mentioned sulphur based fungicides. Not sure whether I will bother really as I am going to just mollycoddle about 3 little ones and hope they will do all right, and not bother about the rest. I mean, I have about 20 trees and if they were all cropping well......... aaarrrgh!
Nev, is sulphur a bad thing to use? I was looking up about these diseases of peach trees; one problem there's not a lot you can do about but the other it mentioned sulphur based fungicides. Not sure whether I will bother really as I am going to just mollycoddle about 3 little ones and hope they will do all right, and not bother about the rest. I mean, I have about 20 trees and if they were all cropping well......... aaarrrgh!
G'DAy M3,
I assume that you are talking about lime sulphur? that or copper oxychloride are worth a go.I think they are both almost regarded as "organic". Years ago when the peach got leaf curl I planted garlic around the base and the leaf curl disappeared. Whether it was causation or coincidence I don't know but the leaf curl never came back!
Garlic spray might also be worth a go!
Nev
I assume that you are talking about lime sulphur? that or copper oxychloride are worth a go.I think they are both almost regarded as "organic". Years ago when the peach got leaf curl I planted garlic around the base and the leaf curl disappeared. Whether it was causation or coincidence I don't know but the leaf curl never came back!
Garlic spray might also be worth a go!
Nev
Garden shed technology rules! - Muddypause
Our website on living more sustainably in the suburbs! - http://www.underthechokotree.com/
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Millymollymandy
- A selfsufficientish Regular
- Posts: 17637
- Joined: Tue May 10, 2005 6:09 am
- Location: Brittany, France
Lime sulphur - I don't know! I'm hopeless when it comes to chemicals. Was just having a look at what diseases I have and some website mentioned sulphur based fungicide. We have peach leaf curl too but that can be treated with Bordeaux Mix (copper sulphate) although PL Curl doesn't seem to harm the fruit and the ratty leaves had gone by mid summer anyway.
Might try planting garlic around the base of the two small trees that are in my veggie patch.
But spraying with garlic - hmmmmm, would the fruit smell/taste of garlic do you think?
Might try planting garlic around the base of the two small trees that are in my veggie patch.
But spraying with garlic - hmmmmm, would the fruit smell/taste of garlic do you think?
Peaches & garlic? well I suppose it is radical alternative to the more mainstream peaches and cream! 
Nev
Nev
Garden shed technology rules! - Muddypause
Our website on living more sustainably in the suburbs! - http://www.underthechokotree.com/
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