Growing fruit is one of the easiest ways to have home produce but it can seem daunting with all the talk about pruning, pollination and root stocks. I’ve been reading a new book that takes the mystery out of it all.
(Ad. Given review copy. Not paid to post.)
It’s been written by Chris Whitelock, a senior examiner with the Royal Horticultural Society, and someone with more than 50 years’ horticultural experience. While he could have written something very technical, suitable for commercial growers, Growing Fruit is very much aimed at the amateur gardener.
Drawing on his own experience of growing in gardens and allotments, he sets out his advice in clearly written and, thankfully, non-technical chapters that cover all the main fruits from apples, pears and plums to gooseberries, currants and strawberries.
The book opens with how to get started, where to grow – allotments and community orchards are alternatives for those without gardens – tools needed, and the different types of tree, such as half-standard and espaliered. There are tips on planting, watering and protecting from pest such as rabbits and deer.
Each chapter takes a different fruit, covering a bit of history – many popular apples date back to Victorian breeding programmes – before moving on to top varieties and cultivation advice.
Along the way, we learn that there are around 7,000 varieties of apple, which makes the rather paltry selection in most supermarkets seem woefully inadequate.
Pears, we’re told, are more challenging as they need autumn warmth to ripen and then can over-ripen in just a few days.
There are suggestions of hybrid berries to try, such as the tayberry, a raspberry and blackberry mix, or the tummelberry, whose exact origins are unknown. The fruits look like a large raspberry.
Aside from the chance to grow varieties rarely found in shops, growing fruit is also good for the planet, reducing food miles and adding carbon-capturing trees.
And you don’t need a huge amount of space thanks to modern dwarfing rootstocks and clever training methods, such as cordons, stepovers and standards.
With often attractive blossom that benefits pollinators, fruit trees and bushes can also be easily worked into ornamental borders.
An informative book that offers good advice for experienced and newcomers to growing fruit.
Growing Fruit by Chris Whitelock is published by The Crowood Press with an RRP of £18.99. #Ad You can buy it here for £15.25. (If you buy via this link, I receive a small commission. The price you pay is not affected.) Alternatively, you may wish to buy from an independent bookseller here. All prices correct at time of publication of this post.
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