What fruit bushes and how many of each?

[muck lover]

I was seduced into buying fuchsia berry bushes. They grew beautifully and the flowers were very pretty. However the black fruit isn’t very nice until it’s really ripe and at that stage immediately falls off the bush so picking it is challenging to say the least. When I threw the few that I had managed to pick into a compote the berries turned slug grey when heated and indeed strongly resembled slugs to the extent that the young Muck Lovers rejected the compote. I’ve got agree it’s hard to beat a black current bush.

[Brack]

I have to say I've been pretty unimpressed with most of the untraditional fruits, except for the Chilean guavas, which are really nice (judgement currently withheld on Japanese wineberries and kiwi berries as they haven't fruited yet).
What I will say is to protect your Chilean guavas - I have 3 bushes (all ka-pow) and 2 suffered badly from die back last winter with the cold (in spite of being right next to the house and all 3 together). Only the undamaged one is fruiting this year.
Fortunately I'm just about finished building my greenhouse so they can go in there this winter.
They don't like being exposed to wind either.

[Jay-ell]

I have to say I've been pretty unimpressed with most of the untraditional fruits, except for the Chilean guavas, which are really nice (judgement currently withheld on Japanese wineberries and kiwi berries as they haven't fruited yet).
What I will say is to protect your Chilean guavas - I have 3 bushes (all ka-pow) and 2 suffered badly from die back last winter with the cold (in spite of being right next to the house and all 3 together). Only the undamaged one is fruiting this year.
Fortunately I'm just about finished building my greenhouse so they can go in there this winter.
They don't like being exposed to wind either.

What sized pots are they in? I've got a Kapow and a Flambeu waiting to do somewhere.

[Brack]

What sized pots are they in? I've got a Kapow and a Flambeu waiting to do somewhere.

Either 35 or 40cm black plastic ones bought in a sale from Sainsbury's a year or two back. I don't remember which.

[whiskywill]

The Jostaberries look like very large blackcurrants but the taste, at least on mine, although similar is a lot more sort of "smokey" - apart from being a bit different, I don't think they have a significant advantage over black-currants, they grow in to larger bushes but the cropping is not that good.

I'll second that on the vigorous growth. My Jostaberry grew to around 5ft. tall x 5ft diameter after three years and gave a very small crop for the size of the bush. I dug it up and gave it away.

[MissPea]

In the Square Foot Orchard .

I am really intrigued by your jungle Jay-ell it sounds amazing.

[1Bee]

Fascinating thread, thanks.

[Snadger]

What about Jostaberries - a cross between a gooseberry and a blackcurrant - thornless.

and tasteless!

[Snadger]

I intend planting two blackcurrant bushes,one redcurrant bush,one whitecurrant bush, two gooseberries (white and red) one loganberry, one Tayberry, 10 raspberries (spring and autumn fruiting) and a dozen strawberries.

I have experimented with other soft fruits and found them wanting. The blackberries I shall gather from the hedgerows.

[nickdub]

sounds like a plan - one thing about soft fruit is its v easy to raise a few more plants if there's a sort you particularly like.