Growing cherries is one of the true tests of your mettle as a gardener. The list of potential pitfalls is long –birds stealing the fruit, canker, fruit split, birds, pollination issues, vigorous growth, frost damage… oh, and did I mention birds, who will take great delight in stealing the fruit just before it is ripe enough for you to pick?
But time and time again we will persevere and try again because the fruit when it arrives is magnificent, a heady mix of sugary sweetness balanced with a tang of acidity, packed in a shiny globe of the deepest red. Henry VIII was so taken with them he set aside more than 100 acres in Kent for their production and ordered his gardeners to ‘propagate with greater vigor’ so he could enjoy more of the fruit he loved. Thankfully, today we don’t have to set aside that amount of land to be able to enjoy fresh cherries, and the range of varieties available means there is a viable option for every garden.
ROOTSTOCK
The most popular of the cherry types for growing at home these days is undoubtedly the sweet cherry. The past 50 years have seen huge advancements in both rootstock development and variety choice, so where once it was only possible if you had enough space for two 10m (33ft) tall trees, now you can taste your own home-grown cherries in a normal garden, allotment or even in a pot on a patio. The most dwarfing rootstock is Gisela 5 (or the slightly more vigorous Gisela 6), which is good if space is really tight, but the tree will need deep, fertile soil and a sheltered position to do well. Colt is more vigorous, but will tolerate a wider range of soils and colder, more exposed sites.
ACID CHERRIES
Denne historien er fra September 2021-utgaven av Kitchen Garden.
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Denne historien er fra September 2021-utgaven av Kitchen Garden.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
SEPTEMBER SPECIALS
This month, with sweetcorn, figs and blackberries on the menu, Anna Cairns Pettigrew is not only serving up something sweet and something savoury, but all things scrumptious
FLAVOURSOME FRUIT AUTUMN RASPBERRIES
September - is it late summer or the start of autumn? David Patch ponders the question and says whatever the season, it's time to harvest autumn raspberries
SOW GREEN THIS AUTUMN
Covering the soil with a green manure in winter offers many benefits and this is a good time to sow hardy types, says KG editor Steve Ott
A HISTORICAL HAVEN OF FRUIT AND FLOWERS
KG's Martin Fish takes time out from his own plot to visit a walled garden in Lincolnshire which has been home to the same family for more than 400 years
RESTORING THE BALANCE
The phrase regenerative gardening is often heard in gardening circles, but what is it? Can it help you to grow better veg? Ecologist Becky Searle thinks so, and tells us why
WASTE NOT, WANT NOT
Garden Organic's Anton Rosenfeld shares his expertise on using compost made from green bin collections with handy tips on getting the right consistency and quality
Celebrating Organic September!
In this special section we bring you four great features aimed at improving your crops and allowing nature to thrive
SEEING RED
Do your tomatoes have a habit of remaining stubbornly green? Or perhaps you're lucky to enjoy lots of lovely fruits - just all at once. Either way, Benedict Vanheems is here with some top tips to ripen and process the nation's favourite summer staple
NEW KIDS ON THE BROCCOLI!
Rob Smith is talking broccoli this month with a review of the different types available and suggestions for some exciting new varieties to try
A NEW kitchen garden
Martin Fish is getting down to plenty of picking and planting on the garden veg plot, while Jill is rustling up something pepper-licking good!
