Plant new currants and berries
Now’s the perfect time to start a collection
Cheap to do and really easy to look after, next year you could be picking bounteous berries and fruit from your patio.
Currants and berries, even the common ones, such as blackberries or blackcurrants, are expensive in supermarkets, but aren’t that dear as plants from garden centres, particularly when you factor in the amount of yearly berries you can yield. So, think about indulging yourself a little and create a fruit collection to be proud of! Now’s the time to plant new bare-root bushes (you can plant potted ones too), and if you’re up for something new, below are some suggestions to break away from the norm.
Currants appreciate manure-improved, well-drained soil and like to be sited in full sun. Cranberries, however, will need to be potted in ericaceous compost and kept very moist. Chokeberries – a rather tart fruit if eaten raw but delicious when cooked in puddings and jams – grow in most soils in sun or shade. Wonderfully-scented and sweet-tasting Chilean guava is perhaps the most low-maintenance of all, needing just shelter, sun and water in dry periods – perfect.