What fruits can you harvest the first season?

[d000hg]

We're planting up some spare ground as a veggie patch since my wife is off work for the duration of all this, and we have the space.

We also have room elsewhere and I wondered for a bit more luxury, are there any fruits you can grow from seed/small plants that will crop in the first year? Many appear to take time to get established e.g. bushes, rhubarb, etc.

We don't have the funds to buy established plants for an instant fruit garden and we already have some fruit trees.

North-East england but sheltered. We can find a sunny spot and we have a decent greenhouse which will be free once the veggie-seeds are planted out.

[Nicos]

We grew Cape gooseberry from seed in our greenhouse back in the uk and it fruited the first season.
(If you keep the plant frost free in winter it will fruit better the following years.)

[Jungle Jane]

Tomatoes are good fruits to grow,plenty of vitamin C or melon emir is a very good out of all the varieties I’ve tried.

[ameno]

Most things you grow from seed can be harvested in the first season (melon, cape gooseberry, etc).
Also, strawberries usually give a small crop in the first year.

[nickdub]

If funds are short, try putting a wanted ad on a local website - a lot of gardeners like me have spares of things like strawberries, loganberries, gooseberries etc because I always propagate a few more than I'm going to need and to give away to friends etc - post is too expensive to be worth sending anything further afield though.

Secondly if you can get a cheap apple or plum from a discount place or wherever, don't worry too much about the variety, as long as the tree is healthy you can always graft it over to become a different sort later in its life for very little money.

[burnie]

Alpine strawberries surprised me, lots of small fruits(when the grandkids leave me a few) and as tough as old boots, mine are flowering already.

[Mikey]

Autumn variety raspberries will fruit in the first year if you are planting canes. They generally give two crops a year.

[SarrissUK]

Alpine strawberries surprised me, lots of small fruits(when the grandkids leave me a few) and as tough as old boots, mine are flowering already.

I agree! I sowed a whole pack of wild strawberry seeds last year and every time I went out in the garden, I had a handful of them to pick - just the right amount to keep me going before returning to the kitchen lol

[Babru]

Interesting thread. I had alpine strawberries growing wild in my last garden, not planted by me, but they weren't worth eating, small and hard. Had a search about, a Sarah Raven article recommended Alexandria, fruit twice the size of others and tasty. She also commented how easy they are to grow, few pests and diseases.

Chiltern Seeds aren't taking any more orders just now, but Nicky's Nursery are, though they say they are very busy.

[ameno]

Interesting thread. I had alpine strawberries growing wild in my last garden, not planted by me, but they weren't worth eating, small and hard. Had a search about, a Sarah Raven article recommended Alexandria, fruit twice the size of others and tasty. She also commented how easy they are to grow, few pests and diseases.

Chiltern Seeds aren't taking any more orders just now, but Nicky's Nursery are, though they say they are very busy.

Sounds like yours may have been wild strawberries (different species, a British native, unlike alpine ones), which aren't nearly so edible.

[d000hg]

Thanks for the tips. Strawberry plants can be had cheap and I'd forgotten they do fruit in the first year. I've never had much luck with raspberries though I adore them, maybe we'll try again.
I don't think of tomatoes as a fruit (let's not go there) but we are growing cherry-toms, wonderful.
I had never considered melons as an option, will they grow outdoors OK? Any suggestions?

[Jungle Jane]

Yes melon emir grow really well outside,I put the plant in a black bucket with bamboo sticks to tie it onto. When the melon appears make a little net sling for them to take the weight.

[Babru]

I think I'd need a 2018 summer to have a chance of growing melons outside in Edinburgh! Lovely idea though. Popping out in the morning to pick your own sunwarmed melon for breakfast. Mmmm.