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soft fruit

yosmo2

By Yosmo2

United Kingdom Gb

advise on planting and maintaining soft fruit




Answers

 

Some need an acid soil eg blueberries, all need feeding mulch with compost in autumn, and see they have enough water in drought conditions,especially just after planting mulching helps conserve moisture. Some fruit on new wood some on old so check this before pruning.
Cane fruit, takes very little ground space and can be grown against a fence eg loganberries, and cultivated blackberries, they need sun to sweeten, but looganberries will grow in part shade, thornless varieties are easier on the hands.If you are not in a hurry only buy one plant the tips of the new canes root to make new plants very easily if pegged to the ground or inserted into a pot of compost. Canes that grow this year fruit the following year, cut canes to the ground after fruiting and they will shoot new canes each year from the base.
Before planting bushes check how much space they need, jostaberries can put on a lot of growth some other fruits are more compact.
I'm growing passionfruit and early strawberries and cape gooseberries in the greenhouse, and melons too.
If your garden is small make sure fruit trees come on dwarfing rootstock, they are easier to pick. If space is limited buy a triple variety of apple, three varieties grafted on to one tree.
Try to pick fruit that harvest at different times
you don't want it all cropping at the same time. Rhubarb comes first then early strawberries then early raspberries . blackcurrants and cane friuit
Trees cherries, plums, pears, apples.vine Kiwi and bush cape gooseberries make a good late crop, I have picked them late and had fruit at Xmas.
Keep freezer space empty or get some kilner / jam jars, or purchase a drying machine, to store any glut of fruit.

18 Jul, 2008

 

Welcome to GoY, Yosmo2.
Do you have soft fruit plants or is this a new venture? Are you interested in particular fruits? Where are/will you grow them? There are several of us on GoY who grow soft fruits, contributions from another growing them are always welcome.

19 Jul, 2008

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