SPOTLIGHT ON... patio fruit

Worried you don’t have enough space to grow fruit? You shouldn’t be – all sorts of fruit can be grown in pots. All you need is a sunny, sheltered spot. A patio is ideal but you can use a balcony, courtyard or edge of a path.

Try patio apricots, peaches and nectarines. These are special varieties that are compact and slow-growing, yet bear full-sized fruit.

If you want apples or pears, go for upright cordons that have been grafted on to dwarfing rootstocks. Even though they aren’t specifically sold for growing in tubs, they do very well since they stay compact and start fruiting early in life.

You can even train a grape vine as a small standard “tree”. Tie the main stem to a strong stake then pinch the top out and allow the side shoots to form a bushy head, in the same way as a standard fuchsia.

The result looks decorative, and once it is established, you can pick four to five bunches.

Some bush fruits are also good for pots. Red and white currants do well grown as bushes or trained flat against a wall. Blueberries are another good choice as they have a superb autumn colour.

Start now with pot-grown plants, even if they are bearing fruit. Slide them out of their nursery pot without disturbing the root ball and repot them in a large pot filled with John Innes No3.

Feed and water more than other patio plants, especially while carrying immature fruit otherwise they shed the lot.