Climbing fruit

[grahama]

Hi all,

I am embarking on my first fruit growing this year and have a fixed gazebo and trellis I want to plant near. Are there any soft fruit varieties, excluding grapes, that will climb or are very trainable.

MAny thanks,

Graham

[Bigmallly]

This may help Graham & welcolm to the vine.


http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...r-pergola.html

[Lovage]

Redcurrants and gooseberries are very trainable as cordons.
Redcurrants can easily reach 3m high and look very decorative in fruit

[sarraceniac]

Hi Graham. Firstly, can you change your 'thingy' to tell us where you are? It is not that we are nosey (except me) but it does help to know what your micro-climate is to advise properly. And secondly, why grapes (or no grapes)? They are brilliant climbers and grow very well in the UK as long as you have the right type for your area. Just wondered 'cos I am the forum bolshie.

[grahama]

Thats me told !!!

I am in Warrington, half way between Manchester and Liverpool and I do know that I have a heavy clay soil below the three inches of top soil the builders left 15 years ago !! Improving it is not a problem as plenty of horse manure locally.

The garden is NNW facing and in the part I am going to plant raised beds gets the sun all afternoon. The pergola gets plenty of sun too but looses it sooner.

I was thinking that grapes were quite hard work really and we eat more soft fruit than grapes which is why I was wondering about utilising the pergola in that way.

The other post mentioned red currants and gooseberries which are on my list this year to establish and I could easilly plant in the ground or containers near the pergola.

All help appreciated no matter bow bolshie it is

Graham

[Burnzie]

Hi Graham, you could try something like Blackberry Oregon Thornless, quite vigorous and heavy cropping.

regards

Burnzie

[sarraceniac]

As you will gather I am on the other side of the Pennines but I will try not to let that influence me.

Grapes are really easy. Heavy clay is no problem (do you want to buy some?) And if you get the right ones they are also edible, but a more usual way is to put them in your juicer thingy, whisk them about, put them in a sieve and add some sugar to the liquid that drains through. Great grape juice which can be frozen. You can make wine but I always found problems. I keep falling over.

If you want decoration as well, then believe me, for a pergola, grapes are it. You could grow some hops but they are not a fruit. But you can pick certain parts when young and use it as a veg. As you will gather gardening is not really as easy as some people think.

I also grow gooseberries (green, red and yellow) and currants (black, red and white) and about 8 other soft fruits including blueberries (I got clay - it is acid), rasps, strawbs etc. . But they grow as bushes. For a pergola, go for grapes which you don't even have to train. But don't scream if they don't fruit for 3 years. Hope this helps you think.

[bobleponge]

Yup grapes grow fine, even as far north as you.
If the pergola is open, ie gets decent sunlight, you could try a kiwi, its a vine, like a grape, and can be cut hard back every winter.

[ginger ninger]

Passion fruit, look fantastic and you can eat the fruit, mixed with a grape vine you'll have a living fruit salad.

[greasyfire]

Pasiion fruit, kiwi, grapes, honeysuckle and blackberry and there family.

[grahama]

Hi all,

going off fruit just a bit, can vine tomatoes be grown on the trellis and pergola instead of soft fruit??

Regards,

Graham

[sarraceniac]

Hi all,

going off fruit just a bit, can vine tomatoes be grown on the trellis and pergola instead of soft fruit??

Regards,

Graham

In theory yes Graham. In reality most outdoor varieties are bush type. The nice tall vine ones usually need to be under glass, especially in our latitude.

[grahama]

Thanks for all the replies. I will have an experiment this year and report back later with pot and ground planted things. I say things because I still have no idea what I am going to grow there

Graham

[sarraceniac]

Passion fruit, look fantastic and you can eat the fruit, mixed with a grape vine you'll have a living fruit salad.

Just spotted this post GN. You are very naughty . The passion fruit or Passiflora edulis is a tropical plant. There are many types of passiflora, the only one that is fully hardy in the UK is P. caerulia which has beautiful flowers but the fruit is 'orrible. I know. With my enquiring mind (and after a bottle of red) I once tried eating one. Yukkk!

Don't get these mixed up again or nobody will come to your parties if fruit salad is on the menu.

[ginger ninger]

Just spotted this post GN. You are very naughty . The passion fruit or Passiflora edulis is a tropical plant. There are many types of passiflora, the only one that is fully hardy in the UK is P. caerulia which has beautiful flowers but the fruit is 'orrible. I know. With my enquiring mind (and after a bottle of red) I once tried eating one. Yukkk!

Don't get these mixed up again or nobody will come to your parties if fruit salad is on the menu.

I'll get my coat (Skulks off)