Join the fruit pot frenzy!
Suddenly, we are all growing bumper crops in containers – and it’s really easy to do if you choose the right varieties
SHELVES in my office are crammed with hundreds of gardening books, a treasured collection I have built up over the past 30 years. Out of curiosity, I recently decided to consult these works to solve a mystery: when did growing fruit in containers become popular? I can’t find a definitive answer but I reckon it must be the early Noughties, because my 1995 copy of The Fruit Expert, by Dr D.G. Hessayon, only covers growing in the ground.
How things have changed. These days, growing fruit in pots has probably overtaken more traditional ways of raising crops, with garden centres, nurseries and online specialists offering a wide range of varieties that are naturally compact or have been bred specially for patio containers.
Strawberries, blueberries and figs are all natural candidates for pots, while nurserymen have developed well-behaved varieties of raspberries, blackberries and currants.
Even fruits usually associated with orchards, such as apples, pears, plums and cherries, can be grown in containers. And for those looking for something more exotic, there’s a host of different peach, nectarine and apricot trees that will thrive in our climate.
Most types of fruit can be bought in containers at any time of year, but a number of trees, cane fruit (raspberries and blackberries) and shrubs, such as redcurrants, blackcurrants and whitecurrants, are available as bare-root plants from late autumn until early spring.
Compact blueberries are one of the most rewarding types of fruit to grow in containers, producing pretty white flowers in spring followed by masses of sun-ripened berries in summer that taste far superior to anything you’ll have bought from shops.
Some blueberry shrubs will reach 7ft or more, but ‘Bluegold’ and ‘Polaris’ grow to about 4ft and have fairly large berries with an excellent flavour. These acid-loving plants will thrive in pots filled with John Innes ericaceous compost. Place in a sunny spot and make sure the compost never dries out completely. Move plants into slightly bigger containers in late winter and feed in spring with ericaceous fertiliser granules.
Strawberries are probably the most foolproof of any fruit plants, requiring just sunshine, water and the occasional feed to produce a huge crop of berries for several years. Pot-grown plants are available, but the most economic way of growing them is to buy bare-root runners. These will romp away, bearing fruit within 60 to 90 days of planting. Place a single runner in an 8in pot filled with multi-purpose compost, four in a 14in hanging basket, or six in a growing bag – elevate containers on to a table or wall to expose fruit to the sun, ensuring better ripening.
UNTIL recently, raspberries were deemed too vigorous for containers. That changed in 2014 with the launch of ‘Ruby Beauty’ – it may grow to only 3ft but it yields up to 3lb of fruit every year.
Apples, pears and plums are probably the most vigorous of all fruit trees, but propagation techniques have led to many wellbehaved varieties – nurserymen attach the shoots of named varieties to the roots (called a rootstock) of a slow-growing species to control the tree’s growth. Try ‘Elstar’ apples for their intense, honeyed flavour.
The key to success is using the right type of compost. Soil-based John Innes No3 is best for any long-term container, while multipurpose compost is only really suitable for strawberries. Blueberries, cranberries and lingonberries all need an ericaceous mix.
Ensure plants are given containers that are large enough for a season or two. Terracotta pots absorb water, leading to compost drying out quickly, so I use plastic containers.