Fruit

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 There are numerous hardy top fruit (apples, pears, plums etc) and soft fruit

(Currants, raspberries, gooseberries, strawberries etc) which can be grown in gardens throughout the British Isles, but what most people do not realize is that the majority of these are not native to the UK but have been introduced from other countries. The Strawberry for instance is native to Chile and Blueberries are North American.

Although the Paradise apples were introduced from South-East Europe during 1472 it is from these, through careful selection and interbreeding during the last 250 years we have apples as we know them today. The same goes for pears which are Southern European and which 200 years ago were as hard as bricks. It is mainly through the efforts of French nurserymen we have the often French named succulent pears of today.

Plums, damsons and gages are derived from the wild hybrids found growing in the Caucasus. These were introduced, selected and hybridized to give us the lush, sweet fruit which are produced on the trees we can now grow in our gardens.

Cherries, both sweet and sour have derived from our native Prunus avium, so the British Isles can claim some credit for their introduction.

The mild winters of the last decade have encouraged more gardeners to plant outdoor peaches, nectarines and figs, all being native to Asia are best trained out on a south facing wall or fence to give them shelter from cold northerly winds.

The Romans first introduced grapes into Britain and created a number of vineyards throughout the country. (Could we have had a period of global warming then?) The very cold winters of the 18th and 19th centuries greatly reduced the growing of outdoor grapes, but the gradual warmer winters since the 1960’s have encouraged gardeners to once more grow grapes outdoor. We even have vineyards in Leicestershire. With outdoor grapes do pick varieties which not only ripen early, but which will withstand cold winds.

All of the soft fruit, as with top fruit, require a rich, fertile, moist but well drained soil. Black, red and white currants are tough and will withstand exposed sites. Raspberries form their new feeding roots in February and as their roots are close to the surface they will not thrive in heavy waterlogged soils.

Gooseberries are best grown in an open airy site as they are prone to mildew in small enclosed gardens where there is little air movement. They are also prone to attack by gooseberry sawfly whose caterpillars will strip the leaves in a few days; you can spray as the leaves are formed using pyrethrum, or Bifenthrin to kill the caterpillars. Worcesterberries (gooseberry x blackcurrant) are tough and do not suffer with mildew or caterpillars. Blackberries are native to the whole of Europe; they are tough, strong growing plants which require to be trained out on wires. The thorny ones will tolerate exposure to north and east, but the thorn free forms prefer south or west facing sites. The thorn free ones although not producing so much fruit are easier to train, prune and fruit pick. Blueberries and Cranberries require acid soils so work in plenty of composted bark or peat. Blueberries prefer moist but well drained soils and besides fruit give superb fiery autumn foliage. Cranberries are dwarf, evergreen shrubs and will grow in very wet soils.

Strawberries must have fertile soil and moisture when the fruit has set. They resent acid soils and require straw or strawberry mats placed beneath the young fruit to keep it off the soil. Strawberries send out runners the first should be saved and potted on to replace the existing bed in three years time. The remaining runners should be removed.