Bring the Med back home?

[mazel-bee]

Can you help me with a bit of a stumbling block I can not get over.
I always thought for some reason I don't understand that you couldn't grow Apricots, peaches, nectarines and Kiwi fruit in Britain. I have read a lot on here but I still appear to be having a dim time with it ( I've just bought a Kiwi plant and I am intimidated by the poor little plant )
* Can I grow all of these without a green house in the ground?
* Is it possible to get a good crop from them?
* Do they all still taste just as nice or are they a little bitter?
* Do they originate from these parts or have we adapted them?
And any other information you think might help me to understand.

[Benacre]

Yes as espaliers on a south facing wall.
get some fruit catalogues and e mail or telephone the suppliers, tell them where you live and what soil type you have and they will sort you out varieties suitable for your needs.

[Alice]

Hello Mazel Bee, yes, as Benacre says you could be successful with them outdoors if you have a good south facing position where you can train them on a wall. Or in a greenhouse. But no, you can't just stick them in the ground anywhere and expect them to get on with it.

[Alison]

Don't grow any of the others but have a small peach tree which fruits outside up here so you should be fine. Also, have seen another thread where some of the Scotish grapes have managed to get kiwis to fruit well so again, no probs for you in your more warmer climes!

[goddess]

peach tree

alison how do you grow your peach tree in a green house or outside ?is it in a pot or on the ground ?iam in cheadle so climate ill be the same.i just about a nectarine lord napier and not sure where best to plant.g

[Alison]

It's in a pot and it lives outside all summer and usually gets taken into a cold greenhouse over winter. However, this is more to protect it from the ravages of peach leaf curl than to keep it from frost. A friend of mine who lives in Sale has one trained as an espalier against their back wall. It's sheltered from the wind there and I think they put a bit of a shelter over the top of it in winter to stop it getting too much rain. That certainly fruits well, we were picking them straight off the tree last year as pudding after a BBQ.