How to grow fruit
To enjoy fresh, unprocessed food you have to get your hands dirty
Wes Fleming of Flemings Nurseries shares his expert knowledge on all things fruit growing.
“When planting fruit trees you should always prune and water your tree properly – otherwise the tree has to do a lot of work to establish itself in its new environment.
Pruning helps the tree because its roots aren’t yet established in the ground. In spring, the tree roots try to feed all of the buds on the top, so if it has been pruned it only has to feed half the amount and the roots get plenty of time to grow into the soil, develop well and get a strong foothold.”
How do I choose what to grow?
“Find out what varieties best suit your particular area. The trees better suited to your local area will have a better chance of being grown organically. You also need to think about how much time and interest you have to invest in growing organically, as it does require some different methods and extra work.”
What are the best ways to fertilise organically?
“Use composts and green manures between trees or companion plants such as clover or lucerne sward combined with herbs like comfrey, marigolds or horseradish.”
Can fruit trees be grown on a balcony or patio?
“As with all fruit the space must have access to natural sunlight for a period of time throughout the day in order to be healthy. We recommend only the very miniature variety of fruit tree or columnar fruit trees are grown in pots. Trees must also be potted on to suit their growing size and root system and should be fed and watered well.”
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