Grow delicious fruit in your own back garden

Everyone knows that home-grown fruit tastes superior to fruit bought at the supermarket which may have been treated with pesticides and coatings to prolong the shelf life but how easy is it to grow your own fruit and how much space is needed for fruit trees?

Well, the good news is you do not need an orchard to grow fruit trees as trained mini trees can be planted around even the smallest of gardens. Fan-trained trees can be grown against a fence or wall and cordon trees can even be trained to grow over a pergola.

As with all successful planting good soil preparation is essential with well-rotted compost added to provide a rich growing environment for the young fruit tree. After watering the tree, tip it out of the pot taking care not to damage the root ball and place it in the prepared hole with the root ball just below the surface. Cover with soil and firm gently in and finally water well. For the first few years it is advisable to keep the soil around the base of the tree free from weeds and other plants to give it chance to get established but after that apart from occasional pruning fruit should begin to appear ready for harvesting in the autumn.