One of the most rewarding things you can do with your garden, what ever its size is grow your own fruit. The ability to have strawberries, raspberries, apples and pears available without the trip to the market helps save the environment too. Dont be put of be the size available to you. Anything from a window box to a full back garden can be used as we shall see.
Finding a sunny location can sometimes be difficult which is why we are seeing more and more people retiring to Europe. Property for sale in France is attractive to these types of people and you can view some here http://www.frenchpropertysearch.com/ Whatever your location there are some steps you can take to harvest the perfect fruit.
First, decide what space you are going to allocated and what fruit you really like. For example; The authors children were very keen on Blueberries. They need a special kind of soil to grow in call Ericaceous (acidic) compost as the ground in my region wasnt suitable. I had two choices dig a big pit or fill up a large pot. The pot idea won, and we were able to grow a good-sized plant. The children learnt that fruit is grown and not just bought in a shop. So, lets run through what you need to do first. And then look at the 5 best types
- Decide on space and conditions. If you push for space then containers, window boxes and hanging baskets will do.
- If you have space, allocate a growing area. Clear it of any weeds and plants that you dont want. Make sure its accessible as youll have to maintain it as the fruit plants are the only thing youll want to grow there.
- Make sure you choose a position that gets a good amount of Sun. The berries will need to ripen. Some need more sun than others.
- Slugs and Birds can work through a crop quickly. Netting can keep out the birds, but slugs require chemical pellets to stop them, so you need to be aware of children and pets not accidental touching or eating them.
- When you choose the types of fruit remember that these are seasonal plants. Youll get more fruit at certain times of the year usually Autumn.
Ok, so youve picked your spot what types of fruit will you go for? Lets have a look at the 5 best options.
- One of the hardiest and the easiest to grow. Strawberries and can plant in any container in soil and just left to their own devices. They will need a watering though! They also like to propagate themselves, so you need to keep them in check as they send out runners to try and grow new plants. They last all summer long and you can get varieties that go into the autumn.
- Again, this berry can be planted and left to get on with it. The fruit comes at the end of the Summer.
- Apples and Pears. Youll need a bit more space to grow these fruits as they are and will become trees! You may need two so that they pollinate each other. You can get smaller (dwarf) varieties that fit in containers. Again, fruit come in late September October time.
Best of luck. Dont be disappointed if you get nothing the first year, sometimes it takes that for the plants to establish. Happy harvesting.
