Espalier fruit trees

[Janette]

Can anybody advise me where is the best place to buy fruit trees to grow as espaliers.

I have just taken on a second allotment plot which I intend to use purely for fruit. There is an existing path right through the middle and I intend to put soft fruit bushes and canes on one side and espaliers on the other so space for a total of about 20 trees of various types.

Janette

[Lesley Jay]

We buy all our fruit from www.kenmuir.co.uk We have always received excellent quality and service.

[nick the grief]

Have a look here Janette

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/factsheets/gg22.php

[Earthbabe]

I am also looking at planting some espalier fruit bushes. What fruits can be grown in this way? Also on a practical note what sort of stakes should I use for attaching my wires to? How deep etc.?

Please help. I will probably be doing this by myself and am not very diy orientated. Why have a man and use power tools yourself?

[nick the grief]

Most folks use wooden posts Earthbabe, trouble with them is they rot. If you can get some Scaffold Tubes they will be better or some 2" angle iron. You can get wire strainers from most diy places to tension the wire. as to how big, depends how tall you want them to grow. Most folks would go for 6ft high with 2ft in contreted in the ground (they'll get heavy when they are full of fruit so you'll need a bit of beef there)

As to sorts, most trees can be trained like this. Get a copy of Hessayon's THe Fruit Expert that will tell you what sorts of rootstock is usefull as well.

[Earthbabe]

Thanks ntg. Don't know if I will be able to concrete on the lottie (I think that's what you mean. Am aiming for slightly shorter espaliers, just to provide a border to the plot. What is angle iron? 'Scuse my female brain

[nick the grief]

No probs earthbabe,

If you can't use any concrete ram loads of brick rubble around the post (a drive in the country will reveal loads dumped by folks!!!

Angle iron is an L shaped profile & it's just stronger than flat steel & looks like this

[Earthbabe]

Concrete/brick rubble is not a prob as the neighbours have dug out a swing recently and some others had a wall taken down by an inconsiderate handyman who dumped a load in an old lady's garden.

Thanks for the pic. I am learning something new every day.

[jxm]

Angle iron is an L shaped profile & it's just stronger than flat steel & looks like this

I tried to get some angle iron a few months ago to tie my cat down with, but I couldn't find any anywhere. I googled for iron mongers and only found one in the entire county and when I called them they said they didn't do that ("try wickes or somewhere like that" he said). I was too polite to ask what the heck iron mongers did if they didn't sell iron! ANyway I gave up in the end - do you know where to buy it?

[yoanbob]

have you tried jewsons, we can usually find stuff there that we cant get anywhere else.

[jxm]

I tried elmes buildbase, b&q, homebase, and wickes - couldn't find a nearby jewson...

[Snadger]

I tried to get some angle iron a few months ago to tie my cat down with, but I couldn't find any anywhere. I googled for iron mongers and only found one in the entire county and when I called them they said they didn't do that ("try wickes or somewhere like that" he said). I was too polite to ask what the heck iron mongers did if they didn't sell iron! ANyway I gave up in the end - do you know where to buy it?

Look under steel Stockholders in yellow pages

[nick the grief]

As daft as it sounds our local timber yard sells it - I know not why!

[Alison]

Is it just me but why was jxm wanting to tie their cat down?

[jxm]

Sorry, that is cat(amaran). When they are tied up in the dingy park they can get thrown around in stormy winds because the gusts get under the trampoline and normal screw/spirel spikes work loose as the wind rocks it around. There is a special type of spike, made from a big ol' piece of angle iron and some shackles that does a much better job...

Obviously, tying a normal cat down is just a simple case of velcroing it to the carpet...