Which fruits to choose

The fruits you choose may well depend upon your soil pH and outside area. There’s many fruits to suit every sized garden. Even if soil conditions and space is limited, you could try growing fruit trees and plants in containers - you can even grow strawberries in hanging baskets! Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, rhubarb, figs, apples, honey berries, goji berries and currants are usually successfully grown.

Scroll down for Fruit Information Cards

See Outdoor Development/ Site Development Ideas/ Fruit Garden for further information

and resources.

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Where to situate your fruit garden • Grow your fruit plants in sunny spots in well

draining soil. • Test your soil pH beforehand to check that it is

suitable. • If your soil is unsuitable you could grow your

fruits in planters.

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Looking after your fruit garden

• Protect your fruits from birds by building net tunnels.

• Ensure climbing fruit plants have canes for support.

• Care for your fruits with regular pruning after their fruiting seasons to encourage fresh growth for the following year.

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Strawberries

Geographical Origins • Strawberry is a type of herbaceous plant that belongs to the rose family. It originates from temperate regions

of the Northern hemisphere, but it can be found worldwide today. Historical Uses • Ancient Romans used strawberries in treatment of melancholy, fever, kidney stones, inflammation, disorders of

liver and spleen and many other diseases. • Raw strawberries were popular among Native Americans. They used them in the preparation of strawberry-

flavoured cornbread. Benefits and Current Uses • Strawberries are rich source of vitamins C, K, B6, B9, potassium and dietary fibres. Five average strawberries

provide 100% of the daily recommended dose of vitamin C. • Recent medical studies indicate that fresh strawberries have beneficial effects on the human health. They reduce

high blood pressure and inflammations and show anti-cancer properties. Interesting Fact • Strawberries are the first fruits that appear in the spring. Another unique feature of strawberries is that

(unlike other fruit) they bear seed on the outside of the fruit. One strawberry has around 200 seeds. • Some people cannot eat strawberries due to allergies. Symptoms include mild hives on the skin, to severe,

anaphylactic shock.

Growing Strawberry Plants • Strawberries are best planted in the spring or autumn. They prefer a sunny and sheltered position in fertile, free-draining soil. Improve your soil with lots of organic matter such as compost or well-rotted manure prior to growing strawberry plants.

• Plant strawberries 45cm apart and in rows spaced 75cm apart. Use a trowel to dig a hole big enough to accommodate the roots of the plant. Firm the plants in well and water thoroughly.

• It’s also worth installing a net tunnel over your strawberries so they don’t get nibbled!

• Although strawberries are normally bought as plants, you can also try growing strawberries from seed. Seeds take up to a month to germinate and will usually crop the following year.

• Strawberries are perennial plants that are able to produce fruits up to 5 years.

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Raspberries

Geographical Origins • Raspberry is woody plant that belongs to the family of roses. It originates from Turkey, but it can be found in

many areas with temperate climate around the world today. Benefits and Current Uses • Raspberries are excellent source of fibre, vitamins C, E and B9 (folic acid) and minerals such as manganese and

magnesium. • Raspberries can be eaten fresh or as ingredient in breakfast cereals, ice-creams, milkshakes and various cakes,

juices, jams and jellies. • Phytonutrients from the raspberries have been used to treat high blood pressure, inflammation of the joints, to

help liver function and to prevent development of kidney stones. • Raspberry ketone, a chemical taken from raspberry, is used in the cosmetic industry for the production of

shampoos, lotions, creams and perfumes. Interesting Fact • The roots of raspberry can survive up to 10 years. The stem is biennial, which means that it dies after two years

and gets replaced with a new stem.

Growing Raspberry Plants • Raspberries like fertile, well drained soil in a sunny spot. • Raspberries are planted any time between November and

March, provided the soil is not frozen or waterlogged. They are normally sold as dormant canes.

• Summer fruiting raspberries fruit between June and August, and Autumn fruiting varieties, fruit between August and October.

• Prepare your soil by raking and adding organic matter such as compost. Create a framework of posts about 2m high and stretch wires horizontally across them. Set the wires about 60cm apart. For summer-fruiting raspberries, plant each cane about 40cm apart and for autumn-fruiting raspberries plant each cane about 60cm apart.

• When planting the raspberry canes, place them at a depth of about 8cm and gently firm them in and water them well. Once planted, cut the canes to 25cm from the ground to encourage lots of basal shoots.

• Raspberries need feeding with fertiliser in the spring to maintain a good crop throughout the season.

• Prune the canes to ground level after fruiting to encourage new fruits the next year.

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Blueberries

Geographical Origins • Blueberry is a flowering plant that belongs to the family Ericacae. This plant originates from North America, but

it can be found on almost all continents today. Benefits and Current Uses • Blueberry is rich source fibre and vitamins C, K, A, E and vitamins of the B group. It also contains valuable

minerals such as iron, manganese, phosphorus and potassium. • Blueberries are usually eaten fresh, but can also be used in juices, jellies, jams, cakes and breakfast cereals. • Blueberries are rich in antioxidants that prevent inflammation and can control blood pressure. Some studies

indicate that blueberries may prevent development of certain types of cancer. • Blueberries can improve memory and motor skills and are also known as the anti-aging fruit. Interesting Facts • Depending on the variety, blueberries have either deciduous or evergreen leaves. Deciduous varieties change the

colour of their leaves seasonally. Light green foliage is characteristic for the spring, red for the Autumn. • Honeybees and bumblebees are the main pollinators of blueberries.

Growing Blueberries • They prefer an acid soil in a nice

sunny or semi shaded position and are best watered with rainwater. If your pH is higher than 8, there is little you can do to lower the pH and you’ll be best to plant blueberries in a container.

• Fruit will be ready to be harvested from mid-summer onwards.

• To ensure that your plant remains productive over many years you will need to prune them each spring around February or March, while the plant is still dormant.

• This is done by cutting back the very oldest stems to ground level each year to encourage new stems to be produced. It is important to remember to ensure that your plant always has a good selection of productive young red stems with plenty of fat fruiting buds.

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Rhubarb

Geographical Origins • Rhubarb is herbaceous plant that belongs to the buckwheat family. It originates from Asia, but it can be found all over the

world today thanks to Marco Polo who brought this plant to Europe and Ben Franklin, who sent the seed of rhubarb to America.

Historical Uses • Due to numerous, beneficial properties of this plant, rhubarb was more valuable than cinnamon in the 16th century in France. Benefits and Current Uses • Rhubarb stalks are rich source of fibres, vitamin K and C and minerals such as calcium, manganese and potassium. • Rhubarb can be used for the purification of the blood, to induce vomiting (to eject posions), prevent disease of gums and as a

cure for the constipation. • Rhubarb can be consumed in cakes, pies, pastries, jams and jellies. • Fibres obtained from rhubarb can be used for the manufacture of paper. • Brown dye taken from the root of rhubarb can be used for dyeing hair. In addition, the leaves and stalks are used as a

source of yellow and red dyes. • Leaves of rhubarb contain substances that repel insects. By boiling the leaves in water, people can produce homemade

insecticide that can eliminate pest from the garden. • Rhubarb leaves are not edible. They contain high percent of oxalic acid which is toxic for humans. Interesting Fact • Even though most people physically consume rhubarb as a fruit, botanically speaking it belongs to the family, vegetables1

Planting Rhubarb • Like most crops, you can try growing rhubarb from seed if

you choose, but an easier option is to plant ‘crowns.’ Rhubarb crowns are established plants that are already at least one year old and will produce a crop in the harvest season after planting - much sooner than rhubarb plants that are grown from seed.

• Rhubarb crowns are best planted in the spring or autumn while the soil is warm and moist.

• Grow rhubarb on moist, well drained and weed-cleared soil in a sunny position.

• When planting rhubarb crowns, set them so that the top of the crown sits 3cm below soil level. If you are gardening on a heavy, wet soil then plant them slightly higher, so that the top of the crown sits at ground level. This will help to prevent crown rot. Rhubarb plants can get quite large so allow a spacing of 75cm between each plant.

• In the Spring remove their flowers when they appear and give them a boost with fertiliser.

• Ensure they are kept well watered during summer. • When the leaves die back in the Autumn, cut the stalks to

leave the crowns.

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