So much food for thought!! Gardenmaiden.. what tayberry do you have? I am thinking of growing a tayberry in place of my failed unproductive summer raspberry. Has somebody got ideas of summer fruiting raspberry which is productive?
Blackcurrants get my vote. You can make jam or cordial, or use them fresh or frozen, cooked or raw, in all sorts of puddings. They mix well with apples in a crumble, or with other soft fruits in a summer pudding. A handful of raw berries gives a nice tang in a fruit salad or trifle. And they're good for you!
I am currently building a fruit cage. A reader in Feb's magazine suggests builders debris netting to cover the cage. However, any ideas on what the minimum mesh size should be for a fruit cage, ie how big do the gaps need to be to let in the pollinating insects?
I grow Lingonberries plot26a which are very similar to cranberries but are native to Northern Europe so don't need frost protection like cranberries do. Both need ericaceous compost. Lingonberries root very easily where their spreading branches touch the ground so I have made many more plants for free.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
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I would go for a different variety to aid cross-pollination, Doug. As you say, having two clones probably won't help in this respect.
Thanks Bob. It makes me wonder how commercial growers work; maybe they have long parallel lines of different varieties.
So much food for thought!! Gardenmaiden.. what tayberry do you have? I am thinking of growing a tayberry in place of my failed unproductive summer raspberry. Has somebody got ideas of summer fruiting raspberry which is productive?
Blackcurrants get my vote. You can make jam or cordial, or use them fresh or frozen, cooked or raw, in all sorts of puddings. They mix well with apples in a crumble, or with other soft fruits in a summer pudding. A handful of raw berries gives a nice tang in a fruit salad or trifle. And they're good for you!
I am currently building a fruit cage. A reader in Feb's magazine suggests builders debris netting to cover the cage. However, any ideas on what the minimum mesh size should be for a fruit cage, ie how big do the gaps need to be to let in the pollinating insects?
I really want to try a cranberry bush and hopefully cranberry sauce one day
I grow Lingonberries plot26a which are very similar to cranberries but are native to Northern Europe so don't need frost protection like cranberries do. Both need ericaceous compost. Lingonberries root very easily where their spreading branches touch the ground so I have made many more plants for free.