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motivation needed for newbie!

redandblack_ukredandblack_uk Posts: 22
in Fruit & veg
hi all. I’ve been thinking of planting some soft fruit in my back garden and maybe an espalier apple in the sunniest part of my garden. I’m a newbie and the more I read online the more I’m getting put off. All the pests and diseases seem like a nightmare. I was really enthusiastic and keen to have a go and now I feel very much like it’s going to be constant work checking for pests etc. Can anyone give me any positive stories about growing fruit in your back garden to encourage me that it won’t be a complete waste of my time lol.

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147


    Does that help?  These are just a few pics of the fruit and veg we’ve grown in our small veg patch over the past few years.  We use no sprays etc and don’t actually do a lot of work in the garden.  😊 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Singing GardenerSinging Gardener Posts: 1,237
    I grow redcurrants, raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries, apples, plums and pears. No sprays and very little attention. I find the pests mostly concentrate on my vegetables and the fruit looks after itself!
  • redandblack_ukredandblack_uk Posts: 22
    That’s amazing thank you both so much! 😁
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I agree with SG - the veg get attacked by all sorts, with fruit it's mostly protection from birds and sometimes slugs that's needed.
    I love to pop down the garden on a summer's morning and pick some fresh fruit to go with my porridge :) luvly and tastes so much better than shop bought



    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    My blackcurrants and gooseberries get zero attention from me except to pick the fruit for pies etc. The birds get plenty, but they are generous in return and have given me lots of new blackcurrant bushes. :)
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    Rhubarb's a good place to start.  You only plant it once and it's virtually maintenance- and pest-free.  Water it during dry spells, cut off any flowers that start to form, and divide the crowns every few years.  Also, you can start to harvest it after a year, whereas fruit trees typically take five years to yield their first meagre crop.
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    Black and redcurrants require no attention at all, the only pest that seems to affect them is the birds! Raspberries are the same, and strawberries nearly so, but they may need some protection from slugs as well.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    We also grow blueberries in big pots ‘cos they don’t like our chalky soil ... great fruit but the blackbirds do think we grow the plants just for them 🙄 keeping the pots on the terrace close to the house helps deter them ... a bit ... 😉 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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