3 December 2007
Fruit Expansion
Posted by Richard under: Fruit & Vegetables; Smallholding .
We have finally worked out and agreed which area of the garden is going to become our soft fruit bed. We don’t really have any soft fruit at the moment - just a few strawberry plants. We made do this year by ‘borrowing’ from neighbours and friends, and supplementing with blackberries and rowans from the hedgerow.
It currently has a few lettuces, and a couple of savoy cabbages - which should be eaten and gone shortly.
Then it will be in with the order for our fruit canes/bushes - raspberries (a mixture of early and later long-cane varieties), gooseberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants (plenty for jelly to go with our lamb) and rhubarb. Kate has also requested a blueberry bush to go in a pot by the back door - for muffin use only.
We know that there is a fair chance we won’t get too much next year as most fruit on last years wood - but we’ll see, and keep our fingers crossed.
PS: Also need to get our seed potato order sorted as well - we’ve decided where the spuds for 2008 are going as well.
5 Comments so far...
David Says:
3 December 2007 at 6:55 pm.
We hope you have more luck with soft fruit than we did prior to constructing a fruit cage! We found that all of our effort was benefiting the avian wildlife rather than our freezer. And, if you’re going to build a fruit cage, you’ve *got* to have a cherry tree! We’ve also found a taybury a useful addition to our soft fruit range. Nonetheless - the very best of luck!
Richard Says:
3 December 2007 at 8:30 pm.
Absolutely David. We already have plans to construct a fruit cage once the plants are in - should keep the birds off, and if I use high tensile steel netting and a padlock, the children as well……was thinking of hooking up the electric fence, but that may be a little over the top.
Kate is keen on a cherry tree - but space is limited.
David Says:
5 December 2007 at 7:49 pm.
I, of course, meant “tayberry”, not “taybury”. Can’t imagine what I was thinking of!
Manuel Says:
16 January 2008 at 5:42 pm.
Hello,
I am organic farmer.
I have cherry trees.
We have a lot of problems with birds.
They damage a lot of fruit.
Which kind of remedy do you use?
Thanks.
Richard Says:
16 January 2008 at 10:18 pm.
Manuel - sorry, but we have one big old cherry tree and the birds got the lot.