When I was a little girl my grandparents had two allotments side by side. One was full of the most wonderful flowers, which they made gorgeous arrangements from. The other was all fruit and veg.
I spent many happy hours wandering round that patch picking juicy berries and shiny apples. Grannie would send me off with a basket to fill for whatever pie or crumble she was baking, but I wasn't much help. Most of it got eaten long before it made it home!
Forty years on, my own family have been known to have an impromptu picnic after wandering past our strawberry patch or the pear tree. There's nothing quite like eating something you've grown yourself, and fruit is one of the easiest places to start. Have a look at our grow your own range for ideas.
The short version
- Strawberries, blueberries and patio fruit trees are the easiest to start with.
- Dwarfing rootstocks keep fruit trees small enough for a pot.
- Plant bare root fruit from late autumn to early spring.
- Pick little and often to keep plants cropping.
What is the easiest fruit to grow at home?
These are the ones I'd point anyone towards first:
- Strawberries: quick to crop, happy in pots, troughs or hanging baskets, and you'll be picking in the first summer.
- Blueberries: pretty all year with blossom in spring and lovely autumn colour. Grow them in a pot of ericaceous compost and they're very little trouble.
- Patio fruit trees: apples, pears, plums and apricots grafted onto dwarfing rootstocks stay compact, so you can grow them in a big pot and reach every fruit without a ladder.
Modern breeding has made fruit growing so much easier. Lots of varieties are now self fertile (so one tree on its own will fruit), more disease resistant and give a longer harvest. You really don't need an orchard, or even a garden, as a patio or balcony is plenty.
Often called one of the tastiest dessert apples of all, Cox's Orange Pippin is a delight to grow and eat.
When should I plant fruit trees and bushes?
Late autumn through to early spring is perfect, while the plants are dormant. Lots of fruit trees and bushes come as bare roots at this time of year. They might look like a twig with some roots, but that's the best way to plant them and they settle in quickly. James shows you how in this video.
Plant in a sunny spot, add a little slow release fertiliser to the planting hole and keep everything well watered through the first year, especially in pots.
When is my fruit ready to pick?
This is the question we get asked most, so here are a few pointers.
- Strawberries: pick when they're red all over, ideally in the morning while it's cool. Take them with a little bit of stalk and they'll keep better.
- Blueberries: wait a few days after they turn blue for the sweetest flavour. Ripe ones roll off into your hand with a gentle touch.
- Raspberries: look for even colour all the way round and a plump berry. If it doesn't pull away from its little cap easily, it isn't ready yet. Once a cane has finished fruiting, cut it down to the ground.
- Apples and pears: cup the fruit in your hand and lift it gently with a little twist. If it comes away, it's ready. Pears are best picked just before they're ripe and left to finish indoors.
- Plums: ready when they're well coloured and give slightly when pressed. Check every day or two, as they ripen fast in warm weather.
Pick little and often and the plants will keep producing for longer. Find all our berries in soft fruit.
So why not try a few crops of your own this year and taste the difference for yourself?
Happy gardening,
Lou
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