The even bigger and better and hopefully not lower bits of growing your own in 2022!

Farway

You'd have to dig deeper to fully check, but I think they are suckers from the rootstock, apples & cherries have the same habit

Don't spot treat or the herbicide will do what it was designed for & kill the roots, and your golden plum, if you search on removing rot suckers you'll find advice, but I've found it hard work and I generally just lop them off at ground level when mowing

The plum munchers are a real pest, it's a plum moth, a search will tell you all you need to know but another one to generally live with

Suffolk_lass

Yes, definitely suckers and plum moth. The RHS site recommends tolerating some or all plum moth larvae, and reassuringly suggests they affect the first fruits to ripen.

To get rid of suckers the RHS recommends severing from the main root of the tree (under the surface, at the point where the root looks to become a growth) then use a weedkiller to kill the sucker. I also add a bit more compost after backfilling (being careful not to cover the graft point between the rootstock and the tree) in the hope that it will reduce it happening in the future. I think this has sometimes worked (where I planted too shallow) but not always as some rootstocks just do this

carinjo

Thank you both for the advice! I think i will keep on top of it by removing/digging out shoots as soon as they appear. I am happy to read that the moths affect the first fruits mainly, gives me hope for later in the season.
The rest of the gooseberries not harvested are now overripe, i am thinking of removing the single one next to pear tree and just keeping the row of five next to plum tree. I would love to get a cherry tree in it's place, one of my favourite fruits.

Harvested the Scarpo Mira maincrop potatoes this morning, mostly the size of a small fist, some the size of an open hand. Again a small yields, but good size.
Picked the dried french beans off the plants to be podded and used for seeds next year.
The leeks look a lot better after the weeding and growing like mad now.

Farway

carinjo said:

Thank you both for the advice! I think i will keep on top of it by removing/digging out shoots as soon as they appear. I am happy to read that the moths affect the first fruits mainly, gives me hope for later in the season.

 I would love to get a cherry tree in it's place, one of my favourite fruits.

If you get one you'll think plum moths are minor pests of a Golden Age , everything eats, bites or pecks any cherries that do not dry up with lack of rain, that is if any grow after all the blossom has been blown away by spring gales

Best of luck, take a tip from commercial growers though, grow trained undercover if you can, wish I had but too late now

carinjo

Farway said:

carinjo said:

Thank you both for the advice! I think i will keep on top of it by removing/digging out shoots as soon as they appear. I am happy to read that the moths affect the first fruits mainly, gives me hope for later in the season.

 I would love to get a cherry tree in it's place, one of my favourite fruits.

If you get one you'll think plum moths are minor pests of a Golden Age , everything eats, bites or pecks any cherries that do not dry up with lack of rain, that is if any grow after all the blossom has been blown away by spring gales

Best of luck, take a tip from commercial growers though, grow trained undercover if you can, wish I had but too late now

Undercover as under netting or fruit cage? And trained to a cordon?

Suffolk_lass

Farway said:

carinjo said:

Thank you both for the advice! I think i will keep on top of it by removing/digging out shoots as soon as they appear. I am happy to read that the moths affect the first fruits mainly, gives me hope for later in the season.

 I would love to get a cherry tree in it's place, one of my favourite fruits.

If you get one you'll think plum moths are minor pests of a Golden Age , everything eats, bites or pecks any cherries that do not dry up with lack of rain, that is if any grow after all the blossom has been blown away by spring gales

Best of luck, take a tip from commercial growers though, grow trained undercover if you can, wish I had but too late now

...but you're not bitter  we have a maraschino cherry. Perhaps because they are not sweet, we usually manage to harvest them. They make excellent kirsch and jam but are too sour for eating as a berry

Farway

carinjo said:

Farway said:

carinjo said:

Thank you both for the advice! I think i will keep on top of it by removing/digging out shoots as soon as they appear. I am happy to read that the moths affect the first fruits mainly, gives me hope for later in the season.

 I would love to get a cherry tree in it's place, one of my favourite fruits.

If you get one you'll think plum moths are minor pests of a Golden Age , everything eats, bites or pecks any cherries that do not dry up with lack of rain, that is if any grow after all the blossom has been blown away by spring gales

Best of luck, take a tip from commercial growers though, grow trained undercover if you can, wish I had but too late now

Undercover as under netting or fruit cage? And trained to a cordon?

Ideally under rainproof cover, like a tunnel, lean to or greenhouse and trained espalier to increase yield, but I suppose a few cordons would do the same and maybe give some variety

The rainproof is for blossom protection, they flower early and seem to always get the cold winds at blossom time, plus will give extra warmth and aid ripening and most importantly bird proofing, and you can control the watering

carinjo

Thank you @Farway, might pick something else instead.

Farway

carinjo said:

Thank you @Farway, might pick something else instead.

Depending on where you live & space, try a fig, pest free and foolproof, can be trained or just left to get on with it if you have space

carinjo

Thank you @Farway, we have a fig tree on the other side of the gooseberry bush! After some pruning advice it got loads of fruit this year, but all very small. 
Some reading on my lunchbreak and i came across quince trees. We had about a dozen along our back fence growing up and mum used to make the most amazing bottled quinche in sugar water. If i'm going to do another fruit tree, that will be the one. Our late frosts in april definately not suited for the cherry trees.