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Fruit plants |
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During the winter months (from November until late March) we send out your fruit plants as dormant bushes and canes. Apart from strawberry plants, which need dealing with quite quickly, most other plants will happily last a week or more without you doing anything with them.
When planting your fruits, keep the crown of the roots level with the soil by digging a shallow, broad hole. Evenly spread the roots out then cover with soil and gently firm down with your hand. Once planted water well to provide the initial stages of growth with moisture.
Whether you’re planting in pots or straight into the ground, the soil needs to be well-prepared. This means getting rid of any weeds and digging in plenty of well-rotted manure or wormcast natural fertiliser.
Order your Fruit Garden or fruit plants.
Once you’re ready to get planting, follow these simple instructions:
Strawberry
Position: Full-sun
Soil: Well-drained
Planting distance: 40cm
Avoid: Planting into ground that has previously grown potatoes, tomatoes or chrysanthemums.
To make the most of these lovely plants a little effort is required in order to produce healthy yields and flavours. Strawberries will provide good yields for 3-4 years.
Soon after delivery you need to soak your strawberry runners in water for half an hour, which will bring them back to life. Plant your runners so that the spot where the shoot meets the root is level with the soil. If planted too deeply they run the risk of rotting.
Grow under cloches or fleece if you are keen to produce an earlier crop. You can also plant strawberries through black polythene which will help stop weeds from interfering with your strawberry plants.
Once planted, strawberries require a weed-free environment to prosper. They are the first to suffer from dry weather due to the shallow root system, so make sure to water well during these periods. If this occurs during fruiting, be sure not to water the fruits as this can turn them mouldy. Once into the fruiting season pack straw or matting underneath and around the plants to prevent weeds growing and protect fruits from splashes and dirt.
Red currants
Position: Sunny and sheltered but they will also tolerate moderate shade.
Soil: Fertile, well drained
Planting distance: 1.5m apart
These are a very easy and fruitful plants to grow. You won’t have fruit to harvest until the second year of growing, but they can however stay productive for up to 15yrs. Redcurrants begin to fruit from August onwards.
The Summer after planting, prune any unnecessary side-shoots to roughly 10cm as the fruit begins to colour, this encourages the fruits to colour and allows for easier picking.
Blueberries
Position: Full or dappled sunlight
Soil: Well draining, acidic with a pH level of 5.5 or lower.
Planting distance: 1.5metres
If you know that your soil is very alkaline, it would be wise to grow your blueberries in pots or containers in ericaceous compost.
Make sure the pot is at least 45cm deep with a similar diameter.
Blueberries can produce larger berries and yields if another bush of a different variety is planted nearby. If you have any rhododendrons in your flower beds then blueberries will generally thrive.
Keep these plants well watered but don’t drown them or allow them to dry out. They are also rather picky about the water they drink, so if possible collect rainwater as it is slightly acidic. If possible, add some ericaceous compost (a very acidic type of compost available from most garden centres) to the soil to give your blueberry plants the conditions in which they will thrive.
Gooseberries
Position: Full or partial sunlight
Soil: Well draining and fertile.
Planting distance: 1.5m
Gooseberries are bushes that are often left to their own devices as they will still happily produce fruit.
Keep gooseberry bushes well watered during summer months and dry periods, taking extra care when fruiting. Maintain a weed free area around the base of the bush, but avoid hoeing as this can damage surface roots. In late winter, mulch around the base of the stems with well rotted manure but keep this away from the actual plant stem.
Raspberries
Position: Choose a sheltered sunny site
Soil: Fertile, well draining, slightly acidic
Planting distance: 45cm apart
We generally supply Autumn raspberries that can be grown in the ground and are also well suited to being grown in pots on the patio.
Unlike Summer varieties of raspberry, Autumn varieties fruit on top of the freshly grown canes and will be harvestable in their first year. This means that they are pruned differently to summer fruiting varieties that produce on the previous year’s growth.
Raspberries should be ready to pick from late summer up until the first good frost.
Harvest raspberries during dry weather and pick over the plants regularly to ensure fruits don’t become over-ripe or rotten.
Tayberry & Blackberry
Position: Full sunlight
Soil: Well draining, with plenty of organic matter. Dislike chalky soil (if you have this type, add plenty of compost and it should be fine)
Planting distance: 1m (depending upon planting method)
Tayberries are a delicious soft fruit; a cross between a blackberry and raspberry with large juicy berries that are generally sweeter than the better known loganberry.
These plants will continue to produce fruit for up to fifteen years, so choosing and preparing the site is vital.
Overall they are very easy plants to grow that require very little effort. Just remember to water well during dry periods and a yearly drop of well rotted manure will keep them going for the whole season.
It is well worth training blackberry and tayberry plants onto a sturdy support such as a post and wire system. This way you can create a framework of annual fruiting branches which will help to increase the yield of your plants and make picking easier.
Blackcurrants
Position: Full sun but will tolerate light shade.
Soil: Rich well drained soil
Planting distance: 1.8m apart
Harvest: Midsummer onwards
These can pretty much grow anywhere, but avoid frost pockets or waterlogged soil. When planting keep the top of the roots roughly 5cm below the soil.
Watering, weeding and pruning are key requirements of this fruit. Be sure to water well during dry periods and weed regularly to avoid competition for water.
Each year add well rotted manure to feed the plants for the season. Be sure not to prune the plants in the first winter after planting. |
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