What should I put in my fruit garden?

• How to grow your own fruit
• Can I create a real orchard in a small space?
• What should I put in my fruit garden?
• Are there any new fruit varieties to try?
• Where to buy and places to visit
• Learn more about growing your own fruit

MK I think every fruit garden should have a comfortable place to sit, and be full of the fruits you love to eat the most. For me, as a fan of sweet crumbles and summer pudding, this means rhubarb (not strictly a fruit), gooseberries, raspberries, redcurrants and blackcurrants. If you're not lucky enough to have hedgerows full of blackberries, then plant some of these fruits too.

KM Apple trees (above) are a good reliable starting point. Pears and plums follow naturally. And how about an old tree in every fruit garden? Decay is a natural part of your tree's biology and is not normally harmful. As your tree ages your fruit crop may diminish, but any deadwood and rot holes provide the perfect habitat for invertebrate species. In turn, these will attract birds to your garden to feed or even nest in the trees, so please keep your old trees.

BS Grow the fruits that delight you. I could not live without raspberries or apples, but I love figs, gooseberries and redcurrants too. Just one redcurrant bush will give you a huge quantity of fruit. I would also grow a fruit that is expensive or difficult to buy fresh, such as blackcurrants.

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