Page 36 - ALG Issue 1 2016 No social share

General
Now that the worst of the winter weather is hopefully behind us, there is an opportunity to plant some
bare root soft fruit to either replace old, unproductive bushes or add more varieties to your plot. As long as the ground is not frozen or too waterlogged, bare root shrubs can be planted now and should be available up to mid-April. Bare root plants are cheaper, establish much better than containerised plants and will give you a good crop next year.
• If you cannot plant straightaway, store somewhere frost free covered with a moist cloth or heel in a sheltered place.
• Soak roots for an hour or two before planting.
• Dig a hole wide and deep enough to spread roots out.
• Soft fruit prefers a moisture retentive, well drained loamy soil,
which has been dug over beforehand and fed with a general
fertiliser.
• Blueberries require ericaceous soil.
• Most soft fruit prefers a sunny position although gooseberries,
blackberries, blackcurrants and raspberries will still thrive in shade.
• Plant slightly lower than they were planted in a nursery (if the
soil level is not visible on stem plant with at least 1 inch of stem covered, blackcurrants can be planted 6”/15 cm lower to encourage growth of new stems).
• Cut blackberries and boysenberries back to 10”/25 cm after planting.
• Cut blackcurrants to 4”/10 cm and half the stems of gooseberries, josta-berries and red and white currants.
• Cut regular raspberry canes back to 12”/30 cm but leave long canes as they are.
• Water well and mulch around to discourage weed growth.
• Summer raspberries and blackberry types will require a
framework to give support to their lax canes.
The Growing Advice pages on the Society’s website contain further advice on how to care for your soft fruit bushes and canes. www.nsalg.org.uk/growingadvice/
Just enough time left for you to plant bare root soft fruit on your plot
Minarette Mini Orchard
M inarette trees are perfect for today's smaller
gardens because they can be planted as close as 60-90cm (2-3ft) apart as well as being ideal for growing in tubs on patios or balconies.
When mature, Minarettes are 1.8-2.4m (6-8ft) tall and will crop prolifically.
Falstaff
Victoria
01255 830181 Mon – Sat, 9am – 4:30pm
Minarette Mini Orchard
SAVE 10%
Cherokee
Scrumptious
Arthur Turner
Concorde
Please include £8.95 p&p to mainland UK only.Please call for p&p to Scottish highlands and offshore islands.
FREE With your first order of fruit stocks
Falstaff - A heavy cropping variety, highly recommended for every garden. The flesh is crisp and juicy and has a very good flavour. Frost resistant. Self-fertile
Code: 994M Price: £24.45 £22.01
Scrumptious - Scrumptious' for its wonderful complexity of flavours. It has been described by experts and gardeners as crisp, sweet and aromatic. It is also thin skinned and therefore ideal for children. It is frost hardy and suitable for planting in all areas of the U.K. It will produce heavy crops as a young tree. Self-fertile Code: 971M Price: £24.45 £22.01
Arthur Tuner - A large early cooker with especially beautiful blossom. Hardy for the north with regular, good cropping. Fairly resistant to scab. An excellent baker. When cooked the fruit breaks up completely but not to a fluff. Pleasant flavour. Partially self-fertile.Code: 928M Price: £24.45 £22.01
Victoria Plum - The most popular dessert/culinary variety. Large juicy fruits. Very heavy crop- ping. Frost resistant. Self-fertile Code: 587M Price: £24.45 £22.01
Cherokee - A high quality dessert cherry with large dark red fruits of excellent flavour. Heavy yielding and the fruits are much less prone to splitting than a lot of varieties. Self-fertile Code: 567M Price: £24.45 £22.01
Concorde - A new late variety producing pale green, medium to large sized pears with excel- lent flavour and firm flesh. A heavy cropper, even on young trees. Self-fertile
Code: 862M Price: £24.45 £22.01
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ORDER PHONE
Please Please write to: KEN MUIR LTD, Dept NAS16F, Honeypot Farm, Weeley Heath, Clacton-on-Sea, Essex CO16 9BJ
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