Can blueberries be grown in the ground or are they for growing in pots?I could add plenty of ericaceous compost and can find plenty of pine needles to help with the acidity.
Based on what you were saying Topbird about the runners I could move the raspberries closer to where I am in the photo and plant blueberry bushes in their place.
My plan for next year or later this year would be to start growing blackberries and training them. So perhaps where the current strawberries are I am thinking of having the cordons and other fruit. Over on the back of the photo I have planted 3 sloe bushes for the main purpose of making sloe gin.
Would this sized plot be too small for a fruit tree of some sort?
Ahh. I thought you could acidify it and keep it topped up. Would blueberries need brought in to a greenhouse during winter up here?
I may give a full size fruit cage a miss at the moment based on the plans I have made since starting this thread. I did think about a damson tree for damson gin (you can probably see a wine/alcohol connection forming ).
A new plan is forming in my head as I type which could work out. At least I am getting a clearer idea in my head now about how to plan this all out thanks to all of you.
Raspberry & blackcurrant gin is also an excellent restorative Andy - cures all sorts of problems.
My fruit area probably totals about 6m x 7m & I have considered a walk in fruit cage. But, as you say, they are expensive and my neighbour's cage was damaged & distorted a couple of years ago after he failed to remove the netting before we had heavy snow and high winds. For now I will muddle along with temporary cages erected just for the few weeks I need them.
Thanks for your comments about the straw Verdun - maybe I just got a bad lot - might give it another go with a different supplier.
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
Blueberries are from the eastern USA where the winters are far colder than here. If grown in the ground there would be no problem. If in pots they might be vulnerable if you had a period of sustained below zero tempeatures. I would go for damson rather than sloe unless you need a barrier. Damson gin is as good as sloe gin, and the fruits can be used for jams pies etc. Damson trees are more productive than sloes. I make both kinds of gin, but I pick my sloes from the wild, save space in my garden for better quality plants.
...and neither damsons nor sloes need to go in a cage - the damson tree is far too big anyway!
The fig would need to be in a greenhouse in Scotland, I fancy, and the roots either in a 2-foot cube hole in the ground surrounded by paving slabs (better) or a pot of the same size. The roots need restricting in order to make it fruit properly and they're somewhat tender - they'll grow out doors in Kent - there's a great one at Walmer Castle; my friend near Liverpool has one outside which sometimes gets frost damaged and one in a greenhouse which doesn't.
Apples should be OK; pears may be tender in N Scotland. Plums and cherries? Not sure, but the birds will have all the cherries unless they're netted. Peaches and apricots are out, I fear, unless you have a heated greenhouse, as they're rather nesh southerners.
Blackberries are potentially rampant, and not really suitable for a small fruit cage. They'll be OK outside but you will have to share with the birds.
I've got 2 fruit cages, the main one purpose bought with raspberries, gooseberries, black/redcurrants, cherries and blackberries. The other I bought the poles, fixing and netting separate and made myself to cover my blueberries, honeyberries and goji berries. I have strawberries intermingled as well as in strawberry pots. I used to have a strawberry bed but found the harvest didn't compare to what I could get per metre from other fruit. Your picture seems to indicate you could get better results from other fruit crops and grow the strawberries elsewhere.
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Can blueberries be grown in the ground or are they for growing in pots?I could add plenty of ericaceous compost and can find plenty of pine needles to help with the acidity.
Based on what you were saying Topbird about the runners I could move the raspberries closer to where I am in the photo and plant blueberry bushes in their place.
My plan for next year or later this year would be to start growing blackberries and training them. So perhaps where the current strawberries are I am thinking of having the cordons and other fruit. Over on the back of the photo I have planted 3 sloe bushes for the main purpose of making sloe gin.
Would this sized plot be too small for a fruit tree of some sort?
Ahh. I thought you could acidify it and keep it topped up. Would blueberries need brought in to a greenhouse during winter up here?
I may give a full size fruit cage a miss at the moment based on the plans I have made since starting this thread. I did think about a damson tree for damson gin (you can probably see a wine/alcohol connection forming
).
A new plan is forming in my head as I type which could work out. At least I am getting a clearer idea in my head now about how to plan this all out thanks to all of you.
Raspberry & blackcurrant gin is also an excellent restorative Andy - cures all sorts of problems.
My fruit area probably totals about 6m x 7m & I have considered a walk in fruit cage. But, as you say, they are expensive and my neighbour's cage was damaged & distorted a couple of years ago after he failed to remove the netting before we had heavy snow and high winds. For now I will muddle along with temporary cages erected just for the few weeks I need them.
Thanks for your comments about the straw Verdun - maybe I just got a bad lot - might give it another go with a different supplier.
Andy
Blueberries are from the eastern USA where the winters are far colder than here. If grown in the ground there would be no problem. If in pots they might be vulnerable if you had a period of sustained below zero tempeatures. I would go for damson rather than sloe unless you need a barrier. Damson gin is as good as sloe gin, and the fruits can be used for jams pies etc. Damson trees are more productive than sloes. I make both kinds of gin, but I pick my sloes from the wild, save space in my garden for better quality plants.
...and neither damsons nor sloes need to go in a cage - the damson tree is far too big anyway!
The fig would need to be in a greenhouse in Scotland, I fancy, and the roots either in a 2-foot cube hole in the ground surrounded by paving slabs (better) or a pot of the same size. The roots need restricting in order to make it fruit properly and they're somewhat tender - they'll grow out doors in Kent - there's a great one at Walmer Castle; my friend near Liverpool has one outside which sometimes gets frost damaged and one in a greenhouse which doesn't.
Apples should be OK; pears may be tender in N Scotland. Plums and cherries? Not sure, but the birds will have all the cherries unless they're netted. Peaches and apricots are out, I fear, unless you have a heated greenhouse, as they're rather nesh southerners.
Blackberries are potentially rampant, and not really suitable for a small fruit cage. They'll be OK outside but you will have to share with the birds.
I've got 2 fruit cages, the main one purpose bought with raspberries, gooseberries, black/redcurrants, cherries and blackberries. The other I bought the poles, fixing and netting separate and made myself to cover my blueberries, honeyberries and goji berries. I have strawberries intermingled as well as in strawberry pots. I used to have a strawberry bed but found the harvest didn't compare to what I could get per metre from other fruit. Your picture seems to indicate you could get better results from other fruit crops and grow the strawberries elsewhere.