Back To Basics: Tree Fruit

In part one of a two-part series, David Patch outlines the basics of growing tree fruit successfully, especially for beginners

- David Patch

One way or another, it’s certainly been an unusual year. While there have been many changes to our daily working practices on the nursery to make sure we keep everyone as safe as possible, the day-to-day jobs of grafting, budding, training and pruning have continued pretty much as normal. However, for many people their working life has been substantially altered and the large increase in people working from home has led to many reconnecting with their gardens and outside spaces.

To try and help people who may be novice gardeners, or are just new to growing fruit, for the next two months we’ll be covering some of the basics on how to choose a new tree for your garden or allotment, so you can start growing fantastic fruit.

WHAT TO CHOOSE

The first question to ask yourself is what fruit would you like to grow. I know this sounds selfevident, but you probably have a much wider choice than you imagine. Many fruit trees can thrive in quite a wide range of conditions, so don’t initially limit yourself by thinking your site is less than ideal.

Don’t worry if you have particularly heavy clay, or free-draining soil, this can be rectified (and next month we will look at how to give your new trees the perfect start). Windy spots can be improved by something as simple as letting nearby plants grow up and provide a mini windbreak. Garden fleece can be used to protect vulnerable blossom if there is the threat of a spring frost.