New to fruit - what and when?

[Winged one]

Hiya,

I am a newbie here on the vine, and I have a small allotment which I got last February (12' x 50' approx). While I managed to get the front 1/3 dug over and cultivated this season (it was unused for some years so full of couch grass and other weeds), I am hoping to cultivate it all next year.

I haven't grown fruit before, but would like to put in some on the plot - I was thinking about raspberries, strawberries, blackcurrants, rhubarb and possibly (given that we have a toddler) some gooseberries. We aren't allowed to plant trees as the plots will be taken for a road in the future (in the next 10 years we are told).

What would I be best to do in terms of preparation, siting and putting in fruit? Are there others I should consider? When would be the best time to plant? And are there any varieties which would be particualrly good and/or bad to look out for?

I'm enjoying reading all the various tips and stuff here on the vine, and look forward to much more productive growing as a result.

Winged one

[Hazel at the Hill]

Hello, WO, and welcome to the Vine!

Not too sure about your fruit q's except, given that you have a toddler, thornless varieties (particularly of gooseberries!) are ones to look out for perhaps.

Clever grapes will be along to advise......

[Flummery]

You can get thornless varieties of blackberry Winged One. These might be suitable with a little one. Black currants (and redcurrants and whitecurrants) are pretty bomb proof too. If you have to move from your lottie they will transplant at the right time of year, or cuttings ae easy too, if you have enough notice.

Enjoy your plot and welcome to the grapevine.

[valmarg]

And blueberries.

But if you want to eat any of the above fruit yourself, you will need a fruit cage, or at least some form of protection from the blackbird family!!

valmarg

[Winged one]

Thank you all.

valmarg - you mentioned a fruit cage - have already learned the wisdom of putting up net over the veg against the pigeons locally. For fruit, is it just netting over them, or do you need one of those fancy things I've seen in the mag ads? Cos they look pretty huge (like well over my head and very large on the ground too) when I just want a few fruit bushes.

I don't know if the CoCo will find a new spot for us to move to, but even transplanting to the pocket hankerchief garden might work, so will keep that in mind Flummery.

I dodn't know there were thornless varieties these days of gooseberries or blackberries. I might give the blacks a miss though, cos I can raid the ditches near mum and MIL in the autumns on weekend visits. But the gooseberries is encouraging.

Thanks all.
Wings

[SueA]

Hi Winged One & welcome. What a shame you might have to move from your 'lottie' eventually but hope you enjoy it while you can. Everything you've already suggested sounds great, I'd give redcurrants a try as well as they make lovely redcurrant jelly & can also be added to other fruits to make nice jams if you're into that sort of thing.

[valmarg]

No Winged One, it doesn't have to be an expensive fruit cage. A framework of bamboo canes covered with some Wilko's pond/fruit netting will do. The main thing is to keep the netting off the fruit bushes. If you just drape netting over the bushes the blackbirds will use it to perch on and peck through.

valmarg