Sunday Mirror

Real picky eater

-

during the summer, ensure they are well watered and they will establish themselves pretty quickly.

There are many bush or dwarf varieties available, which are suitable for small gardens. If you have only space for one, choose a variety that is self-fertile, meaning it pollinates alone to produce fruit.

Many other varieties need to cross-pollinate with another apple tree to produce fruit.

It makes sense to speak to someone at a garden centre who can suggest two trees that will do the job or point you in the direction of a self-fertile one.

And apple trees are glorious in the garden. Not only are they loved by birds, they are also fantastic for flower colour.

At the beginning of the season, the beautiful blossom blooms with pink and white tones.

The fruit is a huge plus at the end of the season, to be eaten straight from the tree or turned into a fresh apple juice or cider.

Raspberrie­s are another brilliant berry to grow yourself. As a kid, my dad grew raspberrie­s in the garden and now we have raspberrie­s at home too, and our kids love them.

You can pick them and eat them fresh from your garden, and they will provide your body with nutrients such as vitamin C, manganese and vitamin K, which supports strong

HELP THEM GROW Simple jobs for kids bones. There are summer-fruiting and autumn-fruiting raspberrie­s, so choosing a good selection means you will be picking raspberrie­s throughout the summer and into autumn.

They grow tall, so make sure you have support in place. They will need pruning at the end of the season, leaving the new growth to be the basis of next year’s crop.

They like slightly acidic, welldraine­d but fertile soils. If you can, site them in rows running north to south so they can maximum sunshine without shading each other.

If you have flying friends visiting

THIRSTY WORK Spraying beds your garden, you are lucky, but you might want to protect the fruit from aerial attacks using netting to cover those currants and berries.

For another easy garden win, try strawberri­es. They are easy to grow in pots, growbags, borders or containers. Children will love to help with them too, because fruits are produced so quickly. And not many kids can resist nicking a juicy red strawberry.

Once the fruit has been harvested, cut off the old leaves to allow fresh leaves to grow and you can crop several times a season.

They are popular for good reason. This fruit delivers vitamin C and folate as well as potassium, which is involved with many vital functions, such as regulating blood pressure.

You will have seen my garden fruit area on ITV’s Grow Your Own at Home with Alan Titchmarsh, and now you know my top fruits to plant in yours for spectacula­r sight and taste.

 ??  ??
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom