Hedge row fruits advice!

[Shumba]

What is your reason for wanting this hedge? (apart from you have a few seedling/cuttings)

Well it beats grass! X3
Looks good, produces tasty things to eat, and I do like making jam and such. I also like the idea of having traditional forage foods to hand sort of thing. It’s fitting to my life style.
Is that not a good reason?

As for sloe jam, never made that one myself yet but people do and I like making jam thus it all be good regardless! X3 Apparently it’s got a bit of bite to it, but even if that’s too zing, I’ll be adding them to other jams to so it won’t be so crazy. Aaaand jam is not the only thing you can make with them.

[Guest]

Sorry I should have explained why I asked. Forage hedgerow plants is not something I would plant hastily. If there is a shortage of those sort of fruits near by then fair enough. Also I think it is more suit to parts of the garden that aren't visited frequently, but that is just my opinion. Here is a thread I started a while ago but I had some great responses and food for thought http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ase_82136.html

If the hedge is in a more visited part of the garden I would expand on your orchard idea. Have a run of trained trees. Possibly a Belgian lattice fence. Move the apples (make sure they are spur bearing) to the fence and have pear, plum, cherry what ever takes your fancy as your four stand alone trees. If you are worried about cost - have a bash at grafting. To keep costs down it really does help to get out in your local area and talk. Even open garden days - they are nice days out and you get a potential opportunity to scrounge Gardeners are a generous bunch and even those that aren't but hear of your plight will often chip in where pos. Or consider grape vines

[Shumba]

Sorry I should have explained why I asked. Forage hedgerow plants is not something I would plant hastily. If there is a shortage of those sort of fruits near by then fair enough. Also I think it is more suit to parts of the garden that aren't visited frequently, but that is just my opinion. Here is a thread I started a while ago but I had some great responses and food for thought http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ase_82136.html

If the hedge is in a more visited part of the garden I would expand on your orchard idea. Have a run of trained trees. Possibly a Belgian lattice fence. Move the apples (make sure they are spur bearing) to the fence and have pear, plum, cherry what ever takes your fancy as your four stand alone trees. If you are worried about cost - have a bash at grafting. To keep costs down it really does help to get out in your local area and talk. Even open garden days - they are nice days out and you get a potential opportunity to scrounge Gardeners are a generous bunch and even those that aren't but hear of your plight will often chip in where pos. Or consider grape vines

I’m certainly not rushing it, I’m planning to get apple trees in first I think, but as I may have one in this area so I want to plan it first. I haven’t seen anything locally growing and currently lack a working car so my foraging is pretty much limited to the garden :/ I do actually have 2 cherry trees but one is growing at 45 degrees and the other if not both probably has canker. Pretty sure they were never looked after before I moved in. I’m still not sure what the problem with a forage hedge is tho.. is it just the maintenance of sloe and hawthorn popping up all over the lawn and a smaller crop from pruning it or am I missing something else?

[Guest]

I’m still not sure what the problem with a forage hedge is tho.. is it just the maintenance of sloe and hawthorn popping up all over the lawn and a smaller crop from pruning it or am I missing something else?

That is pretty much it. Quite a few things are thorny thugs that sucker everywhere, so to keep in check you need to prune which then means you get little to no crop.

If your heart is set on it then give it a bash but the more established the plants are the harder they are to remove if you change your mind (I still planted a foragers hedge, but then again I am a pillock that gives myself too much to do )

[veggiechicken]

In my semi-woodland garden I have hazel, hawthorn, elder & blackberry growing wild. They're not planted in a "hedge" but appear. I dig out the little hawthorns as soon as I see them as they are a nightmare to dig out later. The thorns are so sharp they go through the soles of my shoes so I don't want the dogs stepping on them. Sloes are in the fields nearby but I wouldn't want those in the garden either.
My foraging "hedges" are jostaberries, worcesterberries, black and redcurrants and raspberries. They're more productive than wild fruit and, apart from the worcesterberries, are less painful.
You don't need a car to go foraging - go for a walk. There's plenty of wild food out there once you know where to look.

[vixylix]

Hi Shumba,

I've been looking into this too (I'm planning to avoid thorns and also any crop is a bonus rather than the reason for planting) and I've found what I think is a great website - its got lots of info on different options and also guidelines for spacing and spread

EDIBLE HEDGING. Hedging Plants, Trees, Shrubs and Conifers.

[Shumba]

Well now you all got me thinking about trying to force a sloe to fit in a flower pot haha. I can’t see that working to well! X3 I guess ill consider leaving them out for a bit see how much I miss them.

As to forging, honestly I’d love to and have done in the past, but its literally houses all over the place here, only bush I know is an elderberry on some grass, but next door has one of those overhanging the wall lol I’m sure there is the odd bushes of this and that hidden away, but the walk isn’t a pleasing one with all the traffic. Bit of a mistake moving here, but at least I got a reasonable sized garden to play in!

@vixylix
Woot good link! Glad it mentions wind as well, was wondering if I’d have probs with that. It’s not greatly windy here but it only took one gust to string nextdoors elderflowers off. My plan is to stagger things a bit, now I know what can take the front line on the sunny side X3