Fruit bush advise

[jackyspratty]

Hello all
Im a newbie to this section really.
Next year we would lke to turn some of our plot over to fruit bushes as we have discovered the yumminess of jam and cordials etc. We will have about 4 beds at the lotty for them maybe.

What fruit bushes would you grow and what varieties, bearing in mind we are novices!!

Thankyou peeps xx

[FB.]

The easiest fruit plant that I've ever grown was the whitecurrant: "White Versailles".
Grows like a weed, easy to propagate more bushes, tolerates some neglect, not troubled by pests or diseases, fruit ready in July-Aug.

Next easiest were blackberries.
They *are* weeds, so are easy to grow, but need pruning/training or they will become a tangled mass of thorns. The thornless varieties don't have much flavour - even the birds won't touch them.
They are difficult to get rid of if you change your mind - tiny fragments of root left in the soil will grow back again a year or two later.
If you fancy blackberries, just find a tasty local plant and take some cuttings in autumn, or dig up some root suckers.

Strawberries are always popular.
The early variety "Christine" and the late variety "Pegasus" get my vote. They are quite sweet and very vigorous, with heavy crops and plenty of runnres to allow propagation of new plants for when the older plants start to degenerate after 3-4 years.
Alpine strawberries are also good and will grow with only an hour or two of direct sunlight per day, so useful for shady places. Alpines bear moderate quantities of small, soft, sweet, very well-flavoured fruit from the end of the normal June-July strawberry season right through to the first frosts in Sept-Oct.

Apples are also worth considering. If you get the right varieties, you can be fairly trouble-free and if you get the right rootstocks, you can have them grow as large or small as you like.
But the common varieties (Cox's etc) can be very troublesome; often needing a full spray routine to remain clean and healthy.
In Leeds, I expect that good scab and canker resistance will be useful, so I'd shortlist:
Beauty of Bath, Brownlees Russet, Crawley Beauty, Egremont Russet, Grenadier, Red Devil, Reverend Wilks, Winston.
For a bush that would grow to 5-8ft (depending on variety, soil and pruning/training), I'd choose M9 or M26 rootstock. The commonly-used MM106 rootstock might get too large (10ft or so) and might also suffer root rots from high rainfall.

[northepaul]

Donna, all that FB said except that I would add definately blueberries, mid season strawberry Marshmello, a damson, then if you still have space: a red currant and some raspberries

[FB.]

I didn't mention blueberries because they require a moist and acid soil - and some varieties are completely devoured by the birds long before they're ripe enough for human consumption.
But if you can give them their soil requirements and protection from birds (or grow a large-fruited variety that the birds can't grab with their beak), then blueberries can be easy and productive.

I've generally found raspberries to be a lot less tolerant of poorer conditions - and, again, very prone to being taken by birds.
Transplant success from bare-root, or from potted canes can be very low. Raspberry beetle maggots in the fruits can also be a problem.

I also didn't mention pears, plums or cherries because they are slightly more difficult or unreliable than apples.

Since jackyspratty is new to fruit growing, it'd be nice to start with easy stuff and then progress to more demanding fruits later.

[Mrs Dobby]

I'd recommend you build a raspberry 'fedge' (fruiting hedge) with both summer and autumn fruiting varieties, a strawberry bed, redcurrant (makes lovely jelly), a couple of apple and pear trees, a plum tree, gooseberries and if you're a bit more adventurous, then a grapevine, goji berries, kiwis, figs, blueberries and perhaps almond, hazlenut and dwarf chestnuts are all possible!

[northepaul]

I didn't mention blueberries because they require a moist and acid soil - and some varieties are completely devoured by the birds long before they're ripe enough for human consumption.
But if you can give them their soil requirements and protection from birds (or grow a large-fruited variety that the birds can't grab with their beak), then blueberries can be easy and productive.

I've generally found raspberries to be a lot less tolerant of poorer conditions - and, again, very prone to being taken by birds.
Transplant success from bare-root, or from potted canes can be very low. Raspberry beetle maggots in the fruits can also be a problem.

I also didn't mention pears, plums or cherries because they are slightly more difficult or unreliable than apples.

Since jackyspratty is new to fruit growing, it'd be nice to start with easy stuff and then progress to more demanding fruits later.

FB no offence to you and just a difference of opinion.

Blueberries can be a problem with birds, (but then so can strawberries.) I hung old CDs in the branches (or above them)...and have had over 2lbs of blueberries this year. Just some acidic soil/coffee grinds etc around them in the hole, some seeweed feed when in fruit, and only giving them rainwater....

Rasberries, I just chucked them in with some feed and left them to it, and have had a constant, if small supply of them throughout the summer (I got free ones with some offer with a rival mag.)

Damsons - I picked (under FBs advice) a tougher rootstock - st julien A and a tougher damson (shropshire). The soil its in is extremely bad (clay) and its growing!

NB I would point out i am a new fruit grower too, this is my first year.

Donna look out for free offers in magazines for fruit (ie free stawberry plants etc)

The only thing i wish I had done was put in an apple tree last year. I have one in a pot and its the best tree I have!!

[FB.]

No offence taken.

I find that although birds will take some of the early-ripening strawberries, once the cherries are ripe the birds go for cherries in preference to strawberries.
Many streets have cherry trees along the grass verges in this area, so the birds have plenty of distraction once the cherries are ripe.

Blueberries ripen just after the cherries finish, which is why they are attacked by birds. The large-fruited "Darrow" tends to be too large for the birds to get hold of.

[Davyburns]

To try something really different, you can now get hardy orange and lemon trees, Navrino orange and Eureka lemons will work, but to overwinter fruit, you need to use fleece bags

[purplekat]

My whitecurrant was attacked by vine weevil (and possibly sawfly although I might be thinking of a redcurrant) but apart from that has been a good plant.

I've had quite good luck with gooseberries but they are prone to sawfly (larva) eating all the leaves

I would recommend blueberries to anyone, I have three in pots in my front garden (which is in the dense shade of a beech tree most of the day) and they still fruit no problem, just ripening now. They get neglected a fair bit and don't get watered as much as they should so I think they take more than people think. Never had a problem with birds round there - blackbirds and magpies did take a few when they were in back garden though.

Japanese Wineberry is an easier version of the raspberry as it's protected from maggots by the little casing that grows around the fruit until just before it's ripe. Not thorny either.

I've never had any major problem with apple trees either so they're worth a try too.

I cannot grow strawberries though, I only ever get one or 2 fruit per plant if that - I'm not sure if it's my soil but had same problem in my old garden too. I think some gardens just suit some plants better than others so what others may find difficult may grow well in your garden, you just have to try a few

[jackyspratty]

Thanks guys some great ideas. I like the idea of the white currant, never thought of that and wineberry suonds good. I alreay have a couple of small blueberries in pots in the garden, got some fruit for the first time his year. Not much, but lovely.

I didnt realise raspberries were so problematic? I was thinking of a yellow variety maybe we have two small canes on the lotty left by a previous tenant and the few fruits they have produced have been lovely. Anyone any experience of these?

[gojiberry]

My first choices would be raspberries and strawberries. I have not had any problems with either although the strawberries are netted. I have an autumn fruiting raspberry but think the flavour is rather weak but it my just be I can't get my head around the colour.Blueberries do require special soil so why not try the sascatoon in stead as it is supposed to taste the same but will grow large bushes in almost any soil. I have blueberries under netting but found some of the plants only produced very small berries. I have ordered sascatoons for delivery this Nov to give them a try.

Ian

[jackyspratty]

Thats interesting ian, Ive not heard of that one. Ill pop off and have a google!