Sunday 25 January 2015

Getting Fruity in the garden

Winter is a great time to plant fruit trees and bushes as this is the dormant season so we can buy bare root trees and bushes. These are generally much cheaper than the pot grown plants that you can buy the rest of the year. But what every plants you go for now is still a good time to plant, You will only get good fruit if you start with good stock so buy the best you can afford. It may seem a bargain at the discount shop when you see a gooseberry bush for £1 but you will generally be disappointed with it's performance. Besides the fact that you don't actually know what you are getting when it is just labelled Gooseberry it could be any old variety. It is always best to go to a specialist nursery whether it be for Fruit or any plant there is one fruit nursery that I would recommend. Is Lubera
 But they are not just a fruit nursery they are also breeders of some of the most modern variety's around. In fact they are they run the largest private breeding program in Europe and have brought to market over 80 new variety's. The company was started by Markus Kobelt and has carried out much of the breeding work at there nursery in Switzerland in very harsh surroundings so you know that the plants you are getting are tough.

Red Love Apple
If there was only one variety that you will know them for it will be the Red love Apples which are your traditional red apple on the out side. But they are red all the way through with fantastic flavour there are many variety's in the red love range now check out there website to find out.
Lubera video talking about Red love Apples

But what ever fruit you are planning on planting this year you need to start with good soil preparation. Dig in well rotted manure and a dusting of Bone meal then dig out a hold much bigger than the root ball of the plant. Before planting dust the root ball with a mycorrhizal fungus such as Root Grow this will greatly increases the root growth of the plant and in turn bumper crops of fruit.
Place the root ball in the centre of the hole making sure that the plant is being planted at the same level as it was in the pot or nursery. Not too high as you can dry out the root ball or too low as you can cause the plant to rot or encourage suckers from the graft to grow. Back fill with soil making sure there are no air holes between the roots then firm in gently with the back of your boot. Depending on what fruit your growing or the size of the plant you may have to provide some support in the form of a stake. Water in mulch with garden compost or wood chip and you will be rewarded with years of fruit.
 

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