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Plant new fruit trees, canes and bushesUse cloches to warm soil for early sowingsPrepare areas for planting asparagusPrune apple and pear trees to remove congested, badly placed, damaged or diseased branchesCover seakale to force new shoots

appear in summer on the upper surface of lime tree leaves. These growths, or galls, may be yellowish green or red. lime treesn/aMore common garden pests affecting fruit treesApple sawflyCurrant blister aphidsPear leaf blister miteAphids

or espalier, try MM106 or MM116 rootstock. For larger trees, choose MM111. You can get smaller rootstocks such as MM26 and MM27, but these tend to produce a smaller crop of fruit with greater susceptibility to pests and disease.What are your favourite apple

Left unchecked, canker can gradually spread to affect whole branches and sections of trees. Severely-infected old trees may be beyond rescue, while young trees are vulnerable to infection, particularly where other susceptible trees are growing

A problem that affects trees or shrubs when they've been planted in soil where a plant of the same species had been growing. It particularly applies to members of the Rosaceae family (roses, apples, cherries, plums). Symptoms include retarded

Hang pheromone traps in fruit trees to control moth pests, such as codling moth larvae, which eat applesThin out congested fruit crops on peaches and nectarines, spacing fruits about 10cm apartWatch out for signs of powdery mildew or disease

clumps of rhubarbTake hardwood cuttings from healthy fruit bushesPrune apple and pear trees to control their size and shapeCut down Jerusalem artichokes

't buy in a million years anyway.But last year my persistence paid off and I came away with a standard apple tree shoved into the car for the bargain price of a fiver! Okay my little 'Fiesta' apple was a bit battered and careworn - not least after

Finish summer pruning trained forms of apple and pear trees Harvest apples, pears, plums and gages as they ripenSave seeds from good varieties of beans, herbs and tomatoes that you've enjoyed this yearPot up herbs to use in winterPrune out fruited

Plum trees can be prone to silver leaf disease if pruned in winter, so cut them back in summer to encourage the development of bushy growth, which stops them becoming too large and unmanageable. Plum treeSecateurs June - July 20 minutesUse secateurs