Page 7 - Oundle Life February 2023

GET FRUITY
Growing fruits in dry weather
With the potential of another long, hot summer in 2023, now is the perfect time to begin to prepare your fruit plants to give the best harvest in warmer months, come what may!
When deciding what fruit to choose, allotmenteers new to fruit growing should consider the slope, aspect, and soil type of the plot. If the allotment site is on a slope, the top of the plot is usually drier than the bottom. This means it may be beneficial to plant perennial fruit bushes at the damper bottom.
keep moisture and warmth in the soil and deter slugs. Wet soil will rot the plants making them a
Fruit can be relatively simple
to maintain when the weather is unseasonably dry. Most fruit plants are perennial so they can take advantage of water early in the season and fruit trees are often easier to mulch as they are larger and separated from each other.
Fruit can be relatively simple to maintain
great fruit to grow when water is scarce. Fruits like raspberries and
blackberries require water during the fruit swelling stage which could be impacted by drought or lack of rain. Blackcurrants are a good alternative and need far less watering. They aren’t
Strawberries can be planted from October to April and should crop from May to October depending on the variety chosen. Mulch will
fussy with soil conditions, but they prefer to be in full sun. Should raspberries be an established part of a plot already there are things a plotholder can do to lock in as much moisture
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