Recommendation for new fruit tree/bush?

chivers1977

I have a reasonably small garden - around 30 x 20 with typical grass and trampoline in middle. This yr have been really successful with veg for the first time.

I have had a system of defining the beds by variety with a lavender between each crop. I now want to plant either 1 or 2 trees or bushes that will be productive for next year with fruit. I obviously don;t want to spend a fortune buying it. I will be digging out 2 reasonably sized boring bushes that don't do anything apart from being green:rotfl:

Up for all sorts of suggestions but would like them to be productive next year, not grow to giant size and to not need a great deal of skill to look after. We have planted raspberry canes that came free from one of the companies, 2 survive and are growing leaves. We have some strawberries already.

Thanks in advance!

Mortal

what about something like blueberries (acid soil) or currants, white, red, black. can all be kept quite small.

Lotus-eater

Productive next year?
Raspberries, strawberries... that's about it, can't think of anything else. But they're not bushes, Productive in the years after, anything you like.
Have a look at Blackmoor nursery.

chivers1977

THat's a great site. Thanks!

ixwood

2 year old fruit dwarf fruit trees may give a crop next year. My apples did that I planted last autumn. My dwarf Plum did too actually thinking about it, but that was probably a 2 year old tree at the time too.

LucyMarie_2

Thornless blackberries are great. If you can wait a couple of years then a plum tree is a great tree for lovely fruit!

Lucy

Primrose

I've planted redcurrants, blackcurrants and gooseberry bushes in my front garden to replace the non-productive shrubs which were previously there. They don't take up a huge amount of space and don't grow taller than three feet either. After the first year of first getting established you should get really good crops which are versatile for cooking and more expensive to buy in the shops than apples or pears. Even small fruit trees will eventually grow tall, shade out other things in your garden and their roots will drain out much of the goodness and moisture from the soil which other plants will need to thrive. One sweet dessert gooseberry bush, one blackcurrant and one redcurrant should give you a really nice combination of fruit.

ixwood

Primrose wrote: »

Even small fruit trees will eventually grow tall, shade out other things in your garden and their roots will drain out much of the goodness and moisture from the soil which other plants will need to thrive. One sweet dessert gooseberry bush, one blackcurrant and one redcurrant should give you a really nice combination of fruit.

Depends what root stocks they're on and where and how you grow and prune them. I've got a modest garden and have 15 fruit/nut trees and they don't cause any problems.

I also grow Red/White/Black Currents, Gooseberries, Raspberries, Strawberries, Gojo Berries, Choke Berries and Barberries, but I'm obviously just greedy!

chivers1977

I think that I will take the advice re the tree. I wouldn't want to have anything that might either damage mine or my neighbours property or grow too big.

I am heading towards a thornless blackberry and maybe a gooseberry. I am really not a currant fan so they are out. On the other hand I would love a mirabelle plum tree as they are just delicious and you can get semi-dwarfing..... oh the choice is too much!

The reason for the instant gratification next year is that I garden with my 4 year old who really enjoys seeing and picking the produce rather than wait until he is 7!!

Thanks again all - oooh just looked at the blueberry bushes - I want one too! Will someone decide for me please!

Lotus-eater

If you want something, get it, don't say, oh this will take 3 or 4 years to get going, so there is no point, because before you know it, it will be 3 or 4 years time and you still have nothing....

Get 2 or 3 blueberry bushes, they do better in 2's or 3's for pollination. They need special compost, so put them in pots,
Stick gooseberry bushes where you want bushes, they will take a couple of years at least to get going properly though, plant them well as instructed to give them a good start. Or think about jostaberries, a cross between a gooseberry and a blackcurrant. One thing to remember though is gooseberry sawfly, it can take alot of work to keep both types of bush free of its caterpillars.
A plum tree is a good alternative, get one that is self pollinating.


Unless you want a thornless blackberry very much, think about alternatives, for a start thornless blackberries generally don't taste as good as wild ones and if you have wild ones around do you want to waste garden space on a cultivated version of them?
Think about instead, something like a loganberry, a bosenberry or some other kind of thornless hybrid berry.
Your blackberry or other type of berry grows on long canes, needs to be cut back every year, needs something to grow up and be tied up to. A wall or fence is ideal.

Farway

Watch out for gooseberry with a child, the bushes have spines, some of which are very spikey

However he / she will soon learn to avoid the spines, all part of growing up IMO

I used to help my granddad pick the goosegogs on his allotment, once pricked you know what not to do