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and fruit to place a 5cm - 10cm layer of straw on the surface of the soil.Placing a length of seep hose under the straw allows you to connect it to a hosepipe which will stop soil splash during watering.If you are allergic to straw or find it difficult
Just as your fruits are beginning to ripen, grey mould (a fungus called botrytis) can ruin them. Small brown spots form on the skin, then spread over the whole fruit, turning it soft and brown. As the fruit deteriorates, a fuzzy grey layer of mould
've listed some of my favourite fruits below.Plants grow up to 1.8m and bear sweet berries from July. Best suited to large, sheltered plots.Good soft fruit varietiesBlackcurrant 'Boskoop Giant'Grows well in shade and on heavy soil. It forms red berries
The ripened ovary or ovaries of a seed bearing plant. It may take one of several different forms, eg, follicle, achene, capsule, nut, pome, berry, drupe or syncarp.
Watch Monty Don as he experiments with a new method of growing summer-fruiting raspberries, which claims to yield fruit in the first year.springMore on growing raspberriesRead Lila Das Gupta's blog on growing raspberriesMaking the most of summer
Monty demonstrates how to plant autumn-fruiting raspberries, and offers tips on soil preparation, planting depth and spacing. October-NovemberMore on growing raspberriesHow to enjoy a long raspberry seasonVideo advice ongrowing raspberries
Of fungi, the sporocarp or spore-bearing structures of larger fungi, including mushrooms, toadstools, etc.
Check fruits in store for signs of rot or deteriorationPlant new fruit bushes and cane fruitsTake hardwood cuttings from healthy fruit bushes, including currants and gooseberriesWinter prune fruit trees, including apples - but save plum pruning
Net crops to protect them from pigeonsEarmark your best sprouts for the Christmas table and give them last-minute protection if windyTake hardwood cuttings from fruit bushesGet ready for planting asparagus in spring, removing weeds and digging over
Prune gooseberry bushesFork over vacant beds, mixing in compost or well-rotted manurePlant fruit trees trained as cordons, fans or espaliers to make use of limited spaceTie in raspberry and blackberry canes to support wiresLift and divide congested