Still ok to plant fruit?

[krazy_krok]

Hi all,

I'm still awaiting a delivery of some fruit trees and bushes but expect them to be here within the next week. They're a dual apple, dual plum and dual cherry which the ground is well prepared for added lots of manure in the spring and is well dug, planning to put strawberry's that i ordered here to in a row in front of trees. And also 12 gooseberry bushes and 2 blackberry's where the ground is not prepared but has been covered for about 5 months. Was going to dig in some manure in each planting hole and mulch when planted.

My main question is will it still be ok to plant the fruit trees and prepare the ground and plant for the berries, bearing in mind we've started to get quite a bit of rainfall and it was -3 degrees last night. It would be allot of money to waste if i planted them for them to die. My soil is loamy with clay but drains well. Would i be best healing them in till better weather or planting in pots in greenhouse or polytunnel to later plant them out?

Cheers
KK

[Jeanied]

Are they bare rooted trees KK? If they are they need to go into the ground asap and the advice that came with mine was not to put any manure or fertilizer in the planting hole as it would scorch the roots as they start to grow. If they are in pots it's a different matter.

[krazy_krok]

They're mail order so presume barerooted, Thanx for your advice should i mulch well around them then? The planting area for the trees should be ok the manure i added in spring was well rotted and has had all year to settle and is a nice black colour mixed well with the soil.

Cheers,
KK

[Jeanied]

Yep - the planting areas sound just right - mulch after planting (the advice booklet says!). Your other plants may need just heeling in if you haven't prepared the area or it is too frosty or wet to dig them over.

[FB.]

Best to plant them as soon as possible.
The only reason not to plant them would be because the ground was frozen to such an extent that you can't dig a hole.

edit:
If the ground always waterlogs (as in surface water for days at a time) every autumn-winter, then it may not be suitable for fruit trees.
You could improve such a situation by planting the them on raised mounds, to keep the base of the trunk free from the rotting effect of air and surface water.

[Lovely Helen]

I didn't get my raspberries until late december last year and planted them straight away and they have been fine this year.

[Lovage]

sounds like you will be busy Krazy Krok but i'm intrigued to know what you will be doing with all those gooseberries - I love gooseberries but 12 bushes is an awfull lot!!!