Fruit Trees + Plants (from Homebase) - where to plant them?

PeteW

Having just bough a house with a garden I'm planning on getting into this whole grow-your-own malarkey. I've just seen at Homebase they have a range of fruit trees for a tenner - from memory there were apples, pears, plums, and cherry. Also a load of shrubs - gooseberrys, blackcurrants, loganberrys, etc on 3 for £10.

Googling suggests that these might actually have a chance of fruiting (if I learn how to look after them!), so I'm tempted to get the pear, plum and cherry trees and a few shrubs, but don't know if I have room for them - our garden isn't that big (about 100x30ft) - is that too many for this space? How far should they be from each other?

Also it's north facing and there are some huge trees a couple doors down, so the garden doesn't get all that much sun. Is there any chance I'd be able to grow anything in these conditions? I've also got a greenhouse at the sunnier end if that'd help.

And is there anything to be looking out for when I pick the plants to get 'good ones'?

Cheers

nodwah

PeteW wrote: »

our garden isn't that big (about 100x30ft) -

Cheers

:eek:
that sound bloomin huge to me!
Most lotties are anything like that big are they?

Well we have a truly small garden - about 20ft x 20ft and my husband has crammed in so far... 6 blueberries, 6 raspberries and tayberries, 3 gooseberries,rhubarb, blackberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants and whitecurrants 3 apples trees, one nectarine, two cherries, two pears a plum and a greengage and I still have my wee veggie raised beds a strawberry patch and umpteen herbs and things in pots and more strawbs and tomatoes in hanging baskets and in the spring and summer you can't move in the convservatory for toms and peppers and in the winter you can't move for overwintering geraniums. I've actually only just,sadly, gotten rid of my chilli plants, whch were still flowering and producing chillis- but I needed space for christmas stuff.

So yes, you can cram a lot of fruit trees in that space. In the shadier areas of your garden, plant blackberries and raspberries and redcurrants

PeteW

Wow, I'd love to see how you managed that! I'll put up a photo of the garden later and perhaps someone could advise as to where the trees should go?

PeteW

Well I'm back from Homebase with Plum (victoria), Pear (Williams), and cherry (sunburst) trees and raspberry, blackberry and loganberry plants. Now the question is, where do I put them...

Here's a photo of our garden, which as mentioned, is north facing and you can see from the frost it doesn't get all that much sun (photo was taken at 4pm today). The space at the end towards the greenhouse, I was planning on saving for a vegetable patch.



Any suggestions? For the moment they're all in the greenhouse.

Pete

PeteW

Anyone any tips? I'm hoping to get planting tomorrow!

Pete

nodwah

Don't plant anything now - you shouldn't plant aything into frozen ground, I'm afraid you'll need to wait for a milder spell.

I'm fed up with this myself, I've had nearly 2 weeks off work and I haven't been able to do hardly anything outside coz it's all frozen solid!

You could start lifting turf and turning over the soil to let the frost break it all down as long as you don't break your back!

What direction are wee looking in your photo?

PeteW

Thanks for the advice - I'll just keep them in the greenhouse for now.

The photo is looking North.

nodwah

OK ta, so the fence is east facing? I'd prob not plant the fruit trees on that side as the buds and flowers may be more prone to frost damage - I mean they get frosted and then the early morning sun warms them too fast and does more damage. We find the pears prone to this especially and apples are a bit tougher.
That tree near your house will be a pain when it's in leaf, but I think you could plant the bush fruits along the fence side and that would be useful for training them and tying them in. The usual advice is to dig in loads of manure and leave it for a few weeks before planting.
Did you get an autumn fruiting rasp - "Autumn Bliss"? - useful for extending the season

BTW all our plant are stuffed in witout any respect for planting distances and all the normal advice - my DH's method of gardening, but we still get loads of fruit

PeteW

Thanks for the reply. Not sure what variety of raspberries they were, I'll check tomorrow.

Having just checked on a map, the garden actually faces North-West.

nodwah

yr making me think hard - but that would be like my front garden where the top end gets good sun esp in the summer and the end near the house gets nothing in the winter - good for ferns!

lbt_2

nodwah wrote: »

Well we have a truly small garden - about 20ft x 20ft and my husband has crammed in so far... 6 blueberries, 6 raspberries and tayberries, 3 gooseberries,rhubarb, blackberries, redcurrants, blackcurrants and whitecurrants 3 apples trees, one nectarine, two cherries, two pears a plum and a greengage and I still have my wee veggie raised beds a strawberry patch and umpteen herbs and things in pots and more strawbs and tomatoes in hanging baskets

Wow ... that's impressive!!! :T I am still trying to work out how much I can squeeze in this year while still having room for the children to play. Would love to see some photos if you have any.