The most rewarding fruit to grow at home

[Kristen]

I know they're inexpensive and widely available but our 8 apple trees ...

Ah but ...

if you are like me your Apples are varieties not available in the supermarket? That's the key benefit of Apples for me. Mine are trained Espalier on wires, they don't take a lot of space (and could replace a boundary hedge, for example). So many varieties are not of interest to Supermarkets (and therefore growers) as they bruise easily in shipping, or don't keep in cold store etc. Benefit for an amateur grower therefore to be able to choose those varieties that have superior flavour

Interesting cost-benefit equation for Apples too. They can be bought for a £few in the Spring in the budget stores (although it can be hit & miss on whether they are labelled correctly and of a suitable rootstock etc) but even if bought from a specialist nursery they are £15 or so each and after a few years, once cropping heavily, will probably produce about that value of fruit every year. So as an "investment" its a winner, let alone the benefit in flavour - in my Utterly Unbiased Opinion, of course

[yummersetter]

I agree with most of these replies, Autumn raspberries are probably the most useful as they freeze well and are delicious fresh. Thinking of which fruits are horrid when bought from a supermarket but delicious when they're allowed to ripen on the tree, there are dozens of different types of plums, apples with intense and interesting flavours and most special, pears like Comice - you might just catch half a dozen a year picked at the right time, allowed to be perfectly ripe just before the core rots, but they will be the juiciest, most flavoursome fruit you've ever tasted.

[mothhawk]

Definitely autumn raspberries -
Because:-

I grow Joan J which has no spines at all.
You don't have to bend to pick them
They are easy to prune - simply cut out all the canes to the ground in early winter
They only need a spring mulch to keep them good
They multiply happily and fast
The birds don't bother with them so much as wild berries are beginning to ripen at the same time
They fruit until the first frosts
Bees love the flowers
The flavour of raspberries fresh off the plant, or in a homemade jam is glorious
Raspberries are shockingly expensive and comparatively poor tasting from the shops

[Jay-ell]

Tell you the truth I've only grown strawberries which the birds have told me were delicious.

Ill get back to you once I harvest the gooseberries, black currants, red currants, raspberries, blackberries, figs, grapes and kiwi fruit I have planned.

One answer is that the best fruit is whichever is in season - or in a rumpot.

[skeggijon]

Raspberries are good, but I love red Gooseberries - which taste as sweet as grapes

[Thelma Sanders]

I'd have to agree with Joan J raspberries - but a close runner up would be my Boysenberry.
It's like bigger sweeter wild blackberry, without the spines.

I only had a single bowlful last year, and they were gorgeous but the plant is huge now, so fingers crossed for loads this year

[Moopmoop]

I'd have to agree with Joan J raspberries - but a close runner up would be my Boysenberry.
It's like bigger sweeter wild blackberry, without the spines.

I only had a single bowlful last year, and they were gorgeous but the plant is huge now, so fingers crossed for loads this year

You've made me want a boysenberry too.

[chrisdb]

Of the common fruits, I'd go for dessert gooseberries. Supermarkets sell acceptable raspberries and apples, but on the rare occasions they sell gooseberries they're rock hard, super sharp, very unripe and only usable for cooking. A bowlful of soft, ripe Langley Gage gooseberries is something delicious you can only get easily by growing the plant.

[greenishfing]

Figs and grapes are high on my list but my all time favourite is the humble strawberry. I love fresh strawberry milkshake for a quick breakfast in summer.

[Thelma Sanders]

You've made me want a boysenberry too.

You know you wanna
Boysenberry Thornless Self Fertile Sweet - Pot Grown

[Moopmoop]

After a quick mooch on Suttons website there are a few other things that I would consider having in my garden, other than the boysenberry I am interested in the loganberry and mulberry. I also like the look of the purple raspberry Glen Coe and the orange Valentina. Does anyone grow these raspberries and what are your thoughts about them, is it worth investing in them when I already have 3 other varieties?

[Alison]

I almost bought a mulberry a few years ago but realised they get pretty big and you don't really train them as you can other trees and they take so long to fruit.

[Moopmoop]

I didn't read that they get big so that would put me straight off as I only have pots. Any thoughts on boysenberry and loganberry plants and their fruit?

[Kier]

Never heard of Japanese raspberries, I have a wineberry but not sure if that's what you mean.

Japanese raspberries are not so tart, a bit sweeter and the canes can grow to about 9ft its not a vast difference but I prefer the taste of them straight from the cane

[Kier]

You've made me want a boysenberry too.

and me want one