Any tips for moving an entire garden?

D&DD

I've been a keen GYO'er for years and we've been here for over 20 but now need to move sadly. My garden isn't huge but it's rammed to the rafters with fruit both in pots which will be easy to move but also established bushes in the ground eg blackberries,raspberries,loganberries every currant going and most tree fruits!
We have grapevines in the ground too.


Has anyone got any tips or suggestions of what to take or if it's better to buy a new plant/tree


Thanks for any help

TonyMMM

Anything you can dig up and put in a pot should be OK to move, especially outside the growing season (so autumn/winter would be best). Berries will grow quickly from a few canes.

Established trees / grape vines will be a massive (and expensive) task to move ....just treat as an opportunity to grow new (you could take cuttings, but you may then have to consider grafting onto appropriate new root-stock depending on the situation).

Just make sure that if you are selling, your buyer knows exactly what is being taken/left behind.

Farway

Same advice as Tony really, grapevines root readily from cuttings, but maybe review the varieties as newer grafted varieties may be a better alternative



likewise fruit trees, so many varieties now, or even old favourites on alternative root stocks

DaftyDuck

Moved the garden several times, and moved 2,500 pots last time. OK, most were cuttings, but it filled a Luton van for three trips. South coast to Norfolk, so some distance!

Tips? Cuttings! Label everything in the garden first, be organised. Make a list of everything there. Start with cuttings rather than whole plants. Easier to move, leaves the garden smart and sellable. No need to tell buyers you are nicking the lot. Plastic plant label for each pot of cuttings. Each time a cutting fails, stick the label in a jar for "redo cuttings". Do a batch each weekend. If the sale takes a year, set aside a small part of veg garden to pot out cuttings. Keep on top of it, make notes on that list of what needs taking at what time of year.

Split shrubs ready for moving. You can plant one half beside the other half, in the original position, but stick the smaller half in a pot.

If you haven't got endless pots, Freecycle will supply.

Mini greenhouses make excellent shelving to store the endless hundreds of pots. They can also be used as staging in the van for moving. May need strengthening by tying several together. Big pots on floor of van, medium sized pots on top of these. Tie barriers across van to stop the load shifting in transit. Garden benches work well. water well a day before moving, and let drain freely, or the van will get soaked/plants die in heat. You can stick big pots in bags to reduce mess.

Bushes foliage can be wrapped in fleece (newspaper does at a stretch) if large, tied with string. Makes them easier to carry, branches don't break, occupy less space. Do a couple of days earlier, you'll have plenty to do on moving day.

Wheelbarrow or trolley is essential. Your back will scream.

Some plants are so cheap, it's not worth making a cutting. Except.... multiplied by a hundred, and even they are expensive to replace. Do the lot, they are 'friends' after all.

Make real friends with your buyer. Nice lady made cuttings of several I said had died, and sent them up, without me actually asking her to. She loved the fact that I'd left everything labelled, and left a full list of every plant in the garden.

Be organised at the other end. Unload onto weed membrane, it may be a year to planting it all out. Keep on top of those labels. Use spare cuttings to make rapid friends with other nearby gardeners in new location.
Keep a broom in the van ... you'll need to give it a good clean before returning it.

Spend rest of life weeding, pruning and watering....

D&DD

Thanks so much for all your help you've made me look at things very differently regarding what to take etc.


I have a few currants which have seen better days so a fresh start from a cutting will probably do them the world of good!
Mostly the trees are on smaller rootstocks and in the black handled potato tubs but sadly I do have 20 yr old one I will have to part with and an apricot in the ground which annoyingly has just started fruiting!


The grape he's never been that happy with even though it took me a while to find him one he'd like so he can try out a new one of his choice


I don't have a lot of plants in the ground as we have mostly patio here and the raised beds we have are used for veg and fruit mainly. I have some shrubs we can take cuttings from and the OH is the flower person so that's his job to sort what he wants to take.He's mainly got roses now.


Still looking for the right property but trying to organise things now so I'm not left with having to leave behind anything I don't want to or can't replace.




Thanks again very grateful for all the advice as I've never had a garden to move before

twopenny

I've just done this. 65' garden to a small plot of grass and gravel. Loads of pots! Poor moving men

But was surprised what I could fit in. Dwarf fruit trees around the fence (bare root established the quickest) and my favourite roses were bought from a nursery.
Strawberry plants came in pots and I'm glad I did that. They took off like wildfire and produced well although in smaller number. Of course I can't resist more from the runners.
The rest I bought from supermarkets, poundland, roadside and rescue plants. Was surprised at how well they are doing and it's exciting not quite knowing what you are getting. Bulbs, shrubs, fruit all producing.
Had to get rid of the huge cold frame I'd made because of the size but found that I can fit the seed pots on folding shelves which I'll buy so leaving space for most of the year.

Pots of bulbs go under the garden seat till needed

It's an adventure, the oportunity to grow differently but still produce. I've been eating from the garden from 4mts after moving last Christmas.
Everything will depend on the space and light in your new place and being inventive with espalier fruit bushes etc. and the chance to keep them down to a reasonable size and make the layout less work.

Of course this autumn is the time to move the ones in the wrong places and buy even more ;-)
New house is still a tip but I have 2 lovely gardens!

Good luck.