In an ideal World I am sure everyone would have a mini orchard, grapevine and strawberry
patch in their back garden. Unfortunately many of us do not live in this
figurative ‘ideal World’, but that does not mean that you have to forego growing
your own fresh fruit. Any size garden can accommodate a small crop of delicious
fresh fruit and now is the time to start planning your fruit of choice and the
best way to incorporate it into your limited outside space. Fruit plants do not
require a great deal of attention and will just grow so you do not need to
worry about not having lots of spare time to look after the plants.
The first thing to do is to prepare an area in your garden for your fruit. The size and
location of this area will depend on the size of your garden, the amount of
light it gets and the type of fruit you want to grow. Many fruit trees grow
well next to a supporting fence or trellis so it is best to select an area next to some sturdy garden fencing. You can then train the fruit to grow along your fence or trellis which looks beautiful. So in preparation for planting your fruit trees in early spring you should check the integrity of your garden fence. Are the fence posts cracked or rotting? Are the fence panels sturdy and able to take the weight of growing fruit?
Your next big consideration is the soil. Whichever type of fruit you decide to plant it
will require rich soil with good drainage. You need to get in there with your
trowel and remove all weed roots and if necessary some good weed killer before
adding any compost or nutrients to the soil. Now is a good time to start
revitalising soil which has been lying dormant for some time, in order to be
ready for when you choose to plant your fruit plants in a couple of months
time.
Make sure that you have everything ready to start growing fruit as soon as it is the
right time. Pre-order your fruit trees to arrive in February, the optimum time
for planting. Make sure that you already have your grit, for lining the hole
you plant the tree in to improve drainage, compost and ideally rotted manure,
although I wouldn’t get that until the last minute, to provide essential
nutrients for the tree’s growth.
Growing your own fruit does not need to be complicated or time consuming and can be
highly rewarding, money saving and tasty!
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Eric walker