Apple trees in pots and strawberries.

[southlondongardener]

An orchard in a pot - Telegraph

The crucial thing with container-grown trees is to keep them well- watered, particularly during hot summers. Adding water-retaining granules to the soil may be a sensible option, as is mulching or underplanting with spring bulbs or shallow-rooted plants that will keep weeds down and moisture in. (Remember, other plants will compete with the tree for nutrients, so a little extra feeding may be necessary.) Or, for the ultimate in productive, space-saving and decorative gardening, how about surrounding your little tree with strawberries?

Has anyone tried this ? It sounds a nice idea but wouldn't they compete too much ?

[SarzWix]

Well, they will compete, but if you're watering & feeding regularly enough, it might be ok. Depends how desperate for space you are?! I think for optimum crops, I'd mulch the top of the fruit tree pot with chippings or something to conserve moisture & put the strawbs in a seperate pot.

[southlondongardener]

I live in London - space is a premium !

[OverWyreGrower]

My sister has 2 minarette apple trees in pots on her tiny patio, and strawbs in hanging baskets on her house wall... they're doing quite well and she just makes sure the trees are mulched and fed regularly

[diggerdelaney]

i was lucky to be given 5 fruit trees in large pots the person who donated they grew them in the same pots for at least 7 years and they still produced fruit so i intend to keep them in the pots

[bluemoon]

I've been growing these trees in pots for quite some time, but finally put them in the ground a few weeks ago. I never grew strawberries around them, but every other year I did put in a few dwarf french beans. This gave me an early crop of the beans as the trees were at my home in my garden and not on my exposed lottie, but I also had a theory that the beans' nitrogen fixing roots might benefit the tree. The trees did well, but I couldn't say for certain that the beans had anything to do with it.

[southlondongardener]

That is a very very good idea. What other vegetables are nitrogen fixing and could be grown there ?

[hypnophil]

Hi diggerdelaney, what size tree and pots do you have?
Also, what to feed the trees on, i have a cherry tree and havent a clue what to do with it!!!!!!

[southlondongardener]

i was lucky to be given 5 fruit trees in large pots the person who donated they grew them in the same pots for at least 7 years and they still produced fruit so i intend to keep them in the pots

Please more details type, pot size, feeding, position etc.
I have apple trees in pots which some people I know think is crazy and hope that they die so they can say "I told you so".

[bluemoon]

Apple trees on M27 rootstock should be fine in pots (I think the equivalent cherry/plum rootstock is 'pixie'). Make sure you ruthlessly thin the fruit though otherwise they'll start to fruit only in alternate years and feed cautiously or they will grow sappy and become prone to rots and fungal infections. I always gave mine a weak comfrey tea, but I assume that a dilute tomato fertilizer would do just as well.

Any type of legume - pea or bean - will fix nitrogen and I would guess that this will include sweet-peas, which might look nice scrambling through the branches in summer. (wish I'd thought of that before)

I used 18 inch pots and my trees were fine for several years, I only planted them out because I needed the space at home and I found myself with room at the allotment when we removed a strawberry bed.

The best tip is probably to think large bonsai rather than small fruit tree.

[jeannine]

Some fruit trees like figs actually produce bigger crops if they are in pots.

As long as you keep up with watering (and you can buy an automatic system for around £150), then lots of trees are happy in pots.

Square pots are worth considering if your space is really limited, as they will offer the roots the largest area for the room they take up.

I've got 2 figs, a peach, a weeping mulberry and various berries all fruiting very nicely in pots, so please don't be put off growing fruit if you only have room for containers!

[Protea]

Apple trees on M27 rootstock should be fine in pots (I think the equivalent cherry/plum rootstock is 'pixie'). Make sure you ruthlessly thin the fruit though otherwise they'll start to fruit only in alternate years and feed cautiously or they will grow sappy and become prone to rots and fungal infections. I always gave mine a weak comfrey tea, but I assume that a dilute tomato fertilizer would do just as well.

Any type of legume - pea or bean - will fix nitrogen and I would guess that this will include sweet-peas, which might look nice scrambling through the branches in summer. (wish I'd thought of that before)

I used 18 inch pots and my trees were fine for several years, I only planted them out because I needed the space at home and I found myself with room at the allotment when we removed a strawberry bed.

The best tip is probably to think large bonsai rather than small fruit tree.

Bluemoon - how did you deal with supporting the trees in pots? I have two minarette apples in large pots, but one of them is decidedly lopsided and the other isn't great. I put stakes into the pot, which obviously didn't work. How did you manage to keep them supported in the pots?

I'm thinking about planting them out to save the hassle, but we'll be moving in a couple of years and would quite like to take them with me!

[bluemoon]

This is sort of cheating, but in addition to tying them to a stake I tied them to the fence. I suppose you could always put a second stake into the ground beside the pot and it should work in the same way.