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Fruit bushes grown in pots

I grow strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries and black currents in large pots.  

What I would like to know is how long I can keep them in pots and how should I look after them!

At the moment I'm feeding them weekly with tomato feed and have a reasonable crop on them.  

Do I need to prune/cut right back after fruiting or in the winter?

Would they be better planted in the ground? (I used to have a lab that dug up everything I planted and then presented his 'kill' to me, hence everything in pots!)

I also have two grapes in pots - do they need to go into the ground as well?

thanks from a very new gardener!

Posts

  • Sophie17Sophie17 Posts: 342

    I have all mine in large pots too, mainly because I have rubbish soil and live on a slope and said rubbish soil washes away leaving exposed roots. I remove the top 4 inches of soil every spring and replace with fresh compost. I prune my gooseberries late spring, strawberries I pinch out the runners until they're just about done fruiting and blackcurrants I prune at the start of the new year. Not got raspberries yet that's on the list of things to try next. I start to feed mine with tomato feed once they start flowering and feed weekly until fruits have all gone...don't know if that's the right thing to do but it's worked for me for the last 4/5 years. I've got cranberries and blueberries too and feed and mulch the same but using ericaceous products. I hope you get  lovely crop of tasty fruits to enjoy ?

  • Native58Native58 Posts: 46

    thank you Sophie17 - you've given me some hope that I might get a decent crop at some point!

  • BLTBLT Posts: 525

    Mine are in tubs too, as that way you have some control  Ie spread... learn the lesson of Blackberries image.. Also Raspberries only produce fruit on new canes shoots...So its easier to manage...

    Last edited: 17 June 2016 18:10:50

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