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Growing Fruit in a Small Garden
Yearbook 1990 By: Marilyn H. S. Light Back to the web versionBy Marilyn Light
Growing Fruit in a Small Garden
When space is at a premium and taste is in demand, raspberries, currants, and gooseberries provide a variety of fruit over an extended season. Your garden should be sunny, well-ventilated yet not swept by severe winds in winter. The soil should be well-drained and fertile. Space between plants should be adequate to support growth and allow you to prune, harvest, or otherwise work between the plants.
The Raspberry and its hybrid relative, the Tayberry, have perennial root stocks but biennial canes. In the first year, vegetative canes grow rapidly, and in autumn, initiate flowers in buds found in the upper leaf axils. The following spring, the buds produce lateral stems upon which flowers and then fruits form. After harvest, the canes die and should be removed. Raspberries are spiny, the Tayberry especially so. I find that to save space and my skin!, the vegetative and fruiting canes are best supported on wire in rows. The Tayberry produces inch long, dark red fruits over the July/August period. I find that it is reasonably hardy but, despite the dense cover of spines, very susceptible to mouse damage in winter. For this reason, I cover the canes with plastic stem protectors. Be forewarned; Tayberry produces 12 foot long canes!
White and Red Currants are often neglected but when grown, prove to be a very rewarding acquisition. They fruit from spur growths on old wood and are best grown as a thinned, upright bush. Both red and white currants keep their fruit in good condition for a long time, are excellent for eating fresh or as a basis for jelly. Pests include Saw fly larvae eating the foliage (hand pick or shake the bush over newspaper to remove the tiny, green caterpillars), and Stem Borers (cut back affected stems to sound wood). Black Currants require two varieties for cross pollination. Also, because of their susceptibility to White Pine Blister Rust, black currants may not be the ideal choice in the Ottawa region. Jostaberry, a complex hybrid produced by crossing a tetraploid black currant with a gooseberry hybrid is resistant not only to the White Pine Blister Rust but also to Gooseberry Mildew and Gall Mite. As well, Jostaberry is vigorous, spineless and self-fertile. The dark pink flowers resemble those of a black currant and are very attractive to bumblebees. I found that Jostaberry serves for cross pollination of my lone black currant! The fruits are large, wine-coloured and tasty. After seeing the Jostaberry growing at Wisley Gardens, England, I realized that I am growing a big shrub (five feet high: one inch diameter stem) and have begun to train it on wire.
Training fruit trees, cane fruits and vines on walls, fences or on wire has many advantages. South and west-facing walls give shelter from winds. The crop is obtained in the minimum of space. Some of the fruiting stems are nearer to the ground hence often better protected in really severe winters. Exclusion of birds by netting is simplified. Likewise the same netting (I use polypropylene cloth) serves to protect new shoots and flower buds from late spring frosts. When training stems on wire, be certain to use sturdy T-fence posts and rust-resistant wire. Plastic-covered wire ties may be used to hold the stems to the wire. Stems may be fanned or trained to the left or right as you wish. Allow at least three feet (one metre) between rows. Mulch the ground beneath the plants as well as between to conserve moisture and to reduce soil compaction. Plant only virus-free stock. Sterilize cutting tools between individual plants to reduce disease transmission.
Raspberries and Currants, Tayberry and Jostaberry, are available from small fruit specialists.
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