GARDENING Growing fruit trees

Fruitful endeavours in the garden


Organic Growing
Hans Wieland

Some people believe that growing fruit is easier than growing vegetables, because fruit bushes and trees need far less attention. And they have a point. I am just back from the GIY Gathering in Waterford, where I met garden ‘guru’ Bob Flowerdew from England, and he stressed that point: “Planting a few fruit trees or bushes is not so hard to do, doesn’t take a lot of maintenance, will give you a good yield and children love fruit.”
At The Organic Centre we have an orchard with more than 50 different varieties of apples, a few pears and plums. The orchard was established to demonstrate that we can produce apples in Ireland and more specifically in the North West of the Island. Our Apple Day with demonstrations and workshops is just a few weeks away.
A vast array of fruits can be grown very easily in pots, containers, small spaces and bigger gardens or orchards. Some are ideal for small gardens, like strawberries or potted blueberries, a few bushes of currants and gooseberries will yield enough for a family. In small spaces, dwarf or half-stem varieties do well.
It goes without saying that fruit is very good for all of us. Fruits are a great low-fat source of nutrients, vitamins and fibre, and in many cases cancer-fighting antioxidants. Not only that, kids love the sweet taste, making fruit a great healthy alternative to sugary snacks.
Most of us can find a space in our gardens or around the house to grow fruit and I will give you a few tips to get started.

Growing tips
Fruit trees and bushes ideally like a slightly sloped, south-facing, sheltered site, preferably with loamy, free-draining soil. You can improve your soil with well-rotted compost, farmyard manure and/or mulching.
Avoid frost pockets. This is very important and can’t really be compromised, because late-spring frost can damage flowers and you can lose your whole crop. If you have a sloping garden, don’t plant your fruit at the bottom.
Choose a sunny side. Fruit does best in a sunny position, part shade is okay, but longer periods of shade have to be avoided, blackberries and currants are more tolerant of a little shade.
Areas exposed to strong wind are not great for fruits, so avoid them or provide shelter through hedges or wind breaks. Flowers, fruit and branches can be damaged by high winds.
If you have already some fruit trees or bushes, November and December is the time for pruning. You can also propagate some of your own stock or landscape with fruiting plants or even develop your own forest garden.

Hans Wieland is joint manager of The Organic Centre, Rossinver, Co Leitrim, which offers courses, training and information in organic growing, and runs an Eco Shop and an online gardening store. For more information, visit www.theorganiccentre.ie, e-mail info@theorganiccentre.ie or phone 071 9854338.
Questions or comments? Contact Hans at living@mayonews.ie.