Inter cropping fruit

[darcyvuqua]

I have a bed of strawberries and a bed of fruit trees (dwarf) and was thinking about next year

I was wondering how to free up some space and was thinking about digging the strawberries up and planting at the base of the fruit trees as ground cover

Would this work as it would be amazing as it would free up a 20x3 bed

[veggiechicken]

I'd do it!
Try to keep your strawbs on the sunny side of the trees...........
In a Forest garden, you'd have fruit trees to the north, with say, currant bushes alongside them to the south, and strawbs in front of those - so that each layer is not shaded by a taller one.

[zazen999]

I have rasps in 2 rows either side of the middle of a bed, then chives under then strawbs under that.

I have 4 fruit trees in a 1.8m square bed, with strawbs, poppies, marigolds, lettuces under and in between, a couple of squashes near the edge. If the fruit needs more space, the poppies and marigolds are pulled to make way.

Instead of thinking of your space as an area, think of it as a volume and you will get more into each cubic metre.

[FB.]

I'd do it!
Try to keep your strawbs on the sunny side of the trees...........
In a Forest garden, you'd have fruit trees to the north, with say, currant bushes alongside them to the south, and strawbs in front of those - so that each layer is not shaded by a taller one.

I've been trialling something similar for a few years, but I'm planning to abandon it.
Basically, it was apple trees (on vigorous MM111 or M25, with medium to strong vigour scions) underplanted with hazels, currants and raspberries, underplanted with alpine and regular and everbearer strawberries.

But I'm finding that the hazels, currants and raspberries quickly crowd-out everything else; even the M25 apple trees are being outcompeted by the currants and raspberries (i.e. the currants and raspberries are much bigger than the so-called "vigorous" apple trees).

In my experience, currants and raspberries (also hazelnut bushes) make twice the new shoot growth of even the most vigorous M25 apple trees, with the result that the apples are quickly outgrown and consequently runt-out.

So if I were going to do it again, I'd choose only the most massive fruit trees available (i.e the likes of Blenheim, Bramley, Gascoyne and Hambledon on MM111 or M25 rootstock, or the equivalent for other fruit types), in the hope of giving them half a fighting chance against the very vigorous currants and raspberries.

[veggiechicken]

I started with a garden full of massive old apple trees and a boundary "hedge" of mature oak, ash, holly, hawthorn, hazel etc so I had a forest garden by default - but not in a structured way.
Hazel and raspberries grow too tall and spread too much and I am gradually taking them out. Currant bushes are more manageable, rhubarb seems to do well under trees and the only strawberries I grow there are the woodland ones.
This year, I'm growing all the brassicas under the trees and some lettuce and perennial onions. I let you know next year how successful I've been!!
Darcy has been to my garden so he knows what a jungle it is

[darcyvuqua]

I started with a garden full of massive old apple trees and a boundary "hedge" of mature oak, ash, holly, hawthorn, hazel etc so I had a forest garden by default - but not in a structured way.
Hazel and raspberries grow too tall and spread too much and I am gradually taking them out. Currant bushes are more manageable, rhubarb seems to do well under trees and the only strawberries I grow there are the woodland ones.
This year, I'm growing all the brassicas under the trees and some lettuce and perennial onions. I let you know next year how successful I've been!!
Darcy has been to my garden so he knows what a jungle it is

It's your garden that got me thinking about it!

[veggiechicken]

I'm surprised it didn't put you off gardening for life
Your fruit trees are still small, I believe, so you wouldn't want to put too many hungry/thirsty plants around them. Strawberries should be fine; dab in lettuces and salad crops now as a quick crop to use the space before you can transplant the strawbs.

[darcyvuqua]

As soon as I put them in I put some atlas carrots in so not wasted the area I was just thinking long term

[BertieFox]

Strawberries commercially are always grown in clear, full sun sites, so unless you want to grow the woodland or alpine types then I suspect they won't do too well under trees. We have an 'orchard' of very old large damson trees and pretty dreadful apples, and poor bearing peaches and nectarines, also shaded by large trees from the south. As we have difficulty growing bush fruit like blackcurrants and redcurrants here, even though the soil is fairly damp, I am wondering if putting these bushes amongst the trees might result in better results. The existing trees are around 15 to 20 ft high. The soil is clay and just above the water table. Any suggestions?

[darcyvuqua]

The thing that got me thinking is that the trees are dwarf and have been pruned the allotment is south facing so will have sun all day I don't believe that the sun problem will be an issue as said above I thought that the foliage will stop the ground drying up to much and suppress the weeds!

I have two beds identical so may trial it with one

[veggiechicken]

As you know I've been clearing parts of the garden and this weekend I've been clearing a bit that is really shady. It was covered in creeping buttercups, nettles, dock and bramble but the soil is still damp and easy to work. In the cleared bit that is in full sun and hasn't yet been replanted the soil is like dust yet is only a few yards away.
I know its obvious but keeping soil covered with plants or mulch really does keep the ground moist.

[darcyvuqua]

I'm just gonna go for it I think in my head it makes sense if the strawberries are going to be replaced most years with the runners and I add organic matter/compost/soil conditioner then surely the nutrients will leek down to the fruit tree roots and the strawberries being kept under control will help

The more I think the more I want to do it yesterday

[binley100]

My strawbs pretty much act as ground cover in my fruit cage inbetween the currants and goosgogs . They seem to be loving it but not sure how they'd be under taller trees .