I decided to have a bit of a wee jig around with the layout of my garden this year.
It used to be that I grew my veg in the ground using the no-dig method, therefore my plot consisted of three short, long and thin beds approx 1.2m/3ft wide.
When I look at the size of gardens in these new build homes and also comparing with folks who live in flats, I’ve definitely got a decent sized garden and so plenty room.
Limited gardening options
But like many folk out there, we do not own our home.
There’s only so much I can and even want to do, knowing I could be investing good money in a garden that I may have to leave behind when I finally do move on.
For that reason I’d taken to growing soft fruit in pots– strawberry, blueberry, blackcurrant, gooseberry and even raspberry.
I never thought about growing soft fruit this way and on the whole it’s been relatively successful with reasonable annual crops from most.
Though it’s been hard to judge the success when you have a son who manages to pick the crop covertly before even the blackbirds do!
Which one has been a struggle to grow?
The only one I’d say has been a struggle growing in a container has been the summer raspberry.
Though typically it’s clearly found out my plans now hearing it’s days are numbered and has kicked into life this year with lots of new canes.
This should reward me with juicy fruits later on in the summer.
They have now earned themselves a reprieve, for now….
Fans of soft fruit
In the Cunningham Clan we like our soft fruit.
I enjoy blueberries with my breakfast and I always like to pretend I’m posh having a few strawberries when Wimbledon is on.
We want more so need to up production.
Therefore I’m swapping things around this year now having a go at growing my veg in containers with the soft fruit going in the lovely soil of what used to be my no-dig plot.
I want this bed to look less regimented and more relaxed.
So I levelled the soil which has been getting top dressed for the last few years with good compost, filling in one of the paths that divided my no-dig beds.
I’ve left the other so I can still get access to my fan trained apple tree for pruning and of course harvesting the tasty ‘Discovery’ variety apples.
This may sound a complicated way of growing apples.
But it’s possibly the next productive way of doing so especially if you are limited for space.
All you need is a wall with some evenly spaced wires for supporting the apple tree then maybe up to a foot and half/half a metre from the wall for your apple tree to grow, covering the whole wall.
Grown for their juicing qualities
First out of the pot and in to the ground went the blackcurrant to be joined by another of the same variety.
The fruits can taste tart so are generally not eaten when picked straight from the plant but I have to confess I don’t mind them this way.
The are mostly grown for their juicing qualities, if not the famous drink then like my son who pops a few in his homemade smoothies.
I’m not a massive gooseberry fan, I’ve never really taken to the taste.
But could also be to numerous failures due to the foliage being eating by the gooseberry sawfly.
Watching out for caterpillar larvae!
It’s more the caterpillar like larvae that are the issue which can completely defoliate a plant no problem.
Now’s the time to be keeping an eye out, checking for them on the undersides of the leaves low down in the centre of the plant.
It’s not usually until I spot a few munched leaves before I spot their presence then go through the plant picking any off and leaving on the bird table for the birds to enjoy.
There is a nematode treatment that can applied by watering over the plant.
This is a form of biological control where we introduce a natural enemy to control pests.
Of course the ever popular blueberries in our family have been joined by another plant which the garden centres are full of just now.
They prefer growing in a more acid soil and one of things I’ll do each year is to dress the soil around their base with an ericaceous plants.
These are also my favourite soft fruit to grow for the purple-red colours their foliage turns in autumn.
Experimenting with Tayberry
With the extra space I’m trying something different with the large, fruiting Tayberry, this is a cross between a raspberry and a blackberry.
As it’s named after the river Tay off of which I live, it seems an appropriate plant for me to grow.
The big treat for me is splashing out on a proper fruit cage to protect my crops from marauding pests.
For most of you I’m referring to the birds who like nothing better than enjoying a fruity feast.
But in my case, I’ve also to think about how to keep my teenage son for sneaking them all from the plant before the rest of us can enjoy some!
Read more about Ginger Gairdner Brian Cunningham in this Courier feature.
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