Success with blackberries and black currents, what else?

Tabnabs

I have no skills in the garden to speak of, but we have two lovely bushes with blackberries and black currents (harvested 500g of this and frozen for later jam making). I did have some success with a cherry tree I bought in Lidl and then I seemed to kill it by doing some pruning in March.

What other fruit plants would I find success with bearing in mind my lack of experience?

bastados

Raspberries...they're easily grown..low maintenance

and generally my rule would be to leave plants a few years before pruning..with difficult plants I would plant a few and see what they do.Strawberries planted in lots of soil or use huge pots - I use those big black plastic one with the handles at the top , will yield year after year.

I dispensed with any formal plan in the garden and now drop plants in where theres a space...some will take and others not so much but hey its all a experiment...and dont buy plants labelled patio plants as the frost will kill them unless you can house them indoors.

Lastly if you want to grow lettuce and basil use wooden pots as you can paint the outside with the creosote solution found in hardware outlets and that will keep the slug hordes at bay.

Tabnabs

Lol, I actually thought the blackberries were raspberries for a while Thanks for the tip, I'll try it. Same with the strawberries, sounds delicious.

Sadly the pruning was in order to get at the compost bin as the tree was shooting up and out in all directions. It was just before the leafs were sprouting. I have left the tree in place on the off chance that it's just damaged and not killed 100%, can tips on how I can check this?

bastados

Tabnabs wrote: »

Lol, I actually thought the blackberries were raspberries for a while Thanks for the tip, I'll try it. Same with the strawberries, sounds delicious.

Sadly the pruning was in order to get at the compost bin as the tree was shooting up and out in all directions. It was just before the leafs were sprouting. I have left the tree in place on the off chance that it's just damaged and not killed 100%, can tips on how I can check this?

It may , those trees can throw up shoots esp if its a grafted one and theres plenty of those about..you'll know its a graft if there is a bulbous junction near the ground so check around there for growth but If its hasn't done anything since spring then you're outta luck methinks.

Tabnabs

Cool, thanks for that. I had thought of leaving it til spring to see if it will miraculously come back to life

TheFatMan

I'd reccomend Gooseberries and blueberries. Gooseberry bushes are cheap in Lidl and Aldi and come bare root. Blueberries can be pricey at about 12 euro a plant in most garden centres. But ours are fruiting brilliantly right now and our kids love em.

Get a few Rhubard crowns. I hate the stuff but its really easy to grow in rich manured soil and I end up giving it away to people who like it.

littlemis

the raspberries will spread and shoot everywhere by root system..we had to move ours...the tree I tied the branches down to bent them to avoid cutting and have noticed more shooting up around it,,dont know whats going on but it looks good and its grafted with something..have it for years and since last year it is producing a green thing that tastes a bit plummy rather than cherry at the moment..will be interesting to watch the progress....

annieoburns

Apple tree to grow up over the other shrub fruits?

Put raspberries in an area where they can be 'coralled' to stop invasion of rest of garden.... like in a corner awith walls or a path. The new plants are easily removed tho'

Nice to have sequence of fruit.... there is an Autumn fruiting variety of raspberry for example.

You will need to read up on pruning!

Teegan

bastados wrote: »

Raspberries...they're easily grown..low maintenance

Mmmm! Agreed! Raspberries are delicious too! August is best for picking raspberries and blackberries. In August/September, my kitchen is filled with jam-making. Blackberry, crab-apple, raspberry...

looksee

I have an idea that cherries are one f the prunus family that you should not prune, or prune very carefully as the open wound attracts infection.

dfbemt

Either Lidl or Aldi are selling some fruit plants this coming week. Usually cheap and reliable.

Have gotten mine there before and I always have great crops of raspberries and blackberries.

Would agree with rhubarb comments. Plenty of manure in the Autumn and they go mad the next year. I throw some chicken pellets around them during the spring and summer to keep them right. 3 or 4 crowns would keep a family in copious crumbles every Sunday during the Summer.

Hungry now. I'll go picking in the morning. I feel a crumble coming on.....

Blizzard 2010

Blueberry Bushes in a container. very easy to maintain.:D

yellowlabrador

I get my strawberry plants from seed. It's very economical and I end up with over 100 plants. They are more like wild strawberries but absolutely delicious and they crop from May to October and overwinter. If you have a southfacing wall, try an espalier peach ie trained along wires on the wall or a kiwi. Kiwis are climbers but they need shelter and heat.