A Fruity Time in the Garden!
Nowadays buying fruit (and vegetables for that matter) can be something of a
lottery. We are all familiar with freshly bought, luscious looking apples which
taste like wet cotton-wool! Rock hard pears and sour plums are other sources of disappointment.
Local fruit is rarely available for sale now and the specimens which appear in
our supermarkets have often been bred for just about every trait other than
taste, picked under ripe and then flown thousands of miles in refrigerated
containers.
It is amazingly satisfying and economical to grow your own fruit and it is not
essential to have a huge garden. The key is to plan carefully and choose the
trees which will be suitable for your garden. A "standard" tree
can grow to about 25 feet across, so according to the space you have available
it is worth considering buying trees grown on "dwarfing" root stock.
It is rarely possible to obtain fruit from planting only one tree (although a
few varieties are self-fertile). This means that when buying fruit trees at
least two must be bought and they must be compatible. It is always best to buy
from a good nursery owner who can guide you as to the best selection for your
garden.
The intended site for fruit tree planting needs consideration. Some gardens are
in a so-called frost pocket. Later-blooming varieties should be chosen to
overcome this problem. A plot with a very open aspect can be problematic but
windbreaks, both natural and artificial, can help to protect the new trees. It
is probably best to buy bare root trees and plant them in the winter whilst they
are dormant.
Growing a selection of apples, pears, plums, cherries and peaches should be well
within the grasp of a keen novice gardener. More exotic fruit such as grapes and
figs are quite easy to grown although for both these fruits a warm sunny aspect
is essential and grapes need something fairly substantial to climb up.
One essential aspect of fruit growing which is often overlooked is the care
needed in choosing varieties. It is necessary to select the varieties grown not
only so they are compatible with each other for pollination but also to make
sure that they meet your needs. A very good idea is to plant several varieties
which can be harvested from late summer until late autumn. With apples, plums
and pears you can choose a mixture of cooking and dessert fruit and some
varieties of apple and pear can be carefully stored and used during the winter.
Once you have chosen and planted your trees (with the guidance of your nursery)
be sure to make a note of the varieties and their positions in your garden
so you don't forget. Also write down whether they are cookers or eaters and when
the fruit should be harvested. This should help you identify the various fruits
more easily in future years and enable you to pick them at the correct time and
put them to their correct use.
The best advice is to look around online or at your nursery and see what types
of trees are now available. New varieties appear all the time and appeal to most
tastes and needs. Some trees are even grafted to offer a number of different
varieties on the one tree!
Best of luck and happy growing!
See also:
Orchard Chutney RecipeKeepers Nursery (external link)
Real English Fruit (external link)
Planting Directions and FastGrowingTrees.com (external link)
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