Page 38 - ALG Issue 4 2022

fruit
Preparing to grow fruits that thrive 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.
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.
Strawberries can be planted from October to April and should crop
from May to October depending on
the variety chosen. Mulch will keep moisture and warmth in the soil and deter slugs. Wet soil will rot the plants making them a 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 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 as possible in preparation for drier periods in the future. Cutting down all canes that fruited the previous year as early as January and then weeding and giving a general-purpose fertiliser and mulch, can condition the soil to provide plenty of nutrients and avoid excessive watering.
Apple trees need plenty of water during the last two months before harvest (July & August). Drought like plotholders experienced during those months in 2022 can reduce the quality and size of fruit. One way to counteract a lack of water is heavily thinning the fruit in the lead up to harvest. This reduces watering needs and produces larger apples.
They aren’t fussy with soil conditions, but they prefer to be in full sun
Seeds of many fruit and vegetable plants have been selected to begin growth immediately when supplied with water which makes the wetter months a great time to sow hardier plants. Germinating and successfully producing seedlings can be achieved by watering the drill before planting,
so that the seeds are placed in a moist environment rather than watering from above. Regular mulching and adding good, rotted compost are great general practices to follow when preparing fruit plants and trees for the warmer, drier months.
Chrysanthemums Direct
www.chrysanthemumsdirect.co.uk
Holmes Chapel Road, Over Peover, Knutsford, Cheshire. WA16 9RA
We offer over 420 varieties, the widest range in the UK, suitable for both exhibition, garden interest or cut flower production on the allotment. All grown and dispatched from our nursery, in Cheshire from clean stock. Contact us for your FREE copy of our catalogue, or order online NOW
sales@chrysanthemumsdirect.co.uk 0800 046 7443
38 Allotment and Leisure Gardener