"Garden Fruit at your fingertips!" Gardening isn't just about mowing lawns and digging up carrots, garden fruit has an
important place in today's garden. There are so many different types of fruit to grow, and most tend to get on with the growing bit themselves, meaning you just have to watch the birds don't get the fruit before you can pick it!
 If you have enough space, grow a few smaller trees or fruit bushes on the edge of your plot just for the birds, then NET the rest!
Gone are the days when you had to grow a full blown apple tree in your garden - with modern genetic technology, we can grow 'custom-made' trees in the garden. Whether you agree with this or not, the fact remains that you can take advantage of it! There will be a few restrictions on your fruit growing. For example, it's unlikely you'll be able to grow mangoes in Scotland, however with greenhouses and other equipment available, I guess anything's possible!
Go with the flow and ask around. What grows well in your region? Which garden fruits are other local gardeners growing? And just as importantly, which fruits do you and your family like to eat?
Traditional tree fruits such as cherries, apples, pears and plums can all be grown in a back garden - some can even be grown in large containers. Fruit trees can be shaped and adapted to suit even the smallest of spaces, and your garden centre or local tree nursery will be able to advise you on hybrid varieties already modified to grow along a fence or as a fan shape over a trellis. You can also buy 'dwarf' varieties - which are much easier to handle for the average gardener. Garden fruit trees often have to be netted to protect the fruit from birds, and smaller trees makes this operation a lot easier. Nature Hills have a variety of fruit trees available (US)
When you buy fruit canes or shrubs check on cutting instructions. Some fruits grow on the new year's growth of wood, others will fruit on branches that are at least 2 years old. Raspberries can be very successfully grown by planting cuttings. When you cut back your raspberry canes, or you see someone else doing theirs :-), grab the cuttings and push into your soil firming down so they don't blow over. Place them quite close together- probably not all of them will survive. Later in the year pull out any canes that are not shooting and discard them. If you have a good success rate with your raspberry canes, you may find you have an overcrowding problem. Thin out every other cane, trying to leave the healthiest and strongest looking plants in the ground. If you buy your canes directly from a nursery or garden centre, they should all be fine, and you can plant them further apart.
Grapes are a 'vine'. A trailing grape vine over a garden arbor or along a trellis is worth trying out if you have the space. Ask around before growing grapes in your region. They can be very disappointing if the conditions aren't right.
Gooseberries and many other berries and currants grow on small bushes and are a great addition to a back garden.
Gooseberries grow on low-growing shrubs, often with huge spiky thorns, but the fruits are delicious! Blackcurrants, redcurrants, and most other currants tend to grow on small-medium sized shrubs. They need a little looking after but should reward you with pounds of currants in early summer. Then there are strawberries, probably one of the most well-known of the garden fruits. Strawberries are fairly hardy and can produce multiple crops throughout the year, depending on the variety. Full article on growing strawberries, here
Happy Gardening! More "Garden Fruits" Reading
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