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as they swell (which can break the skin and encourage disease). The ideal spacing between fruits is about 10cm, though I admit I often allow a bit less than that. You can snip off the excess fruits with a pair of secateurs, but they will just as easily break off

Stone me!This is THE year for fruit as far as I'm concerned. About five years ago we started our own mini-orchard with some great bare root fruit trees from a local fruit nursery. Then we added to them over the next year or two. Despite the fact

It's great. The canes on my autumn-fruiting rasperries are whipping around in the incredible wind we're having, but they're absolutely laden with fruit. It's amazing that the local bird population isn't all lined up underneath with their beaks open

It's been a great year for stone fruit crops, apparently, with commercial cherry growers reporting bumper harvests. We have a couple of cherry trees here, but I've yet to taste a ripe fruit from them – the birds always get there first. I know we

satisfying week.Today I sorted out the autumn raspberries: pruning, clearing and feeding the bed. Autumn-fruiting raspberries produce fruit on new canes, so they should be cut to the ground in February to encourage them to produce this season's canes

As container-grown fruit and veg start to crop, it's important keep your eye on the ball to ensure they stay productive. I've just harvested a small batch of French beans from my late container sowing as part of the Grow Yourself Healthy campaign

. Apricot trees (Prunus ameniaca) grow particularly well there because of the south-western aspect and because, before the invention of the gutter, they got lots of rain - apricots need lots of water to prevent the fruit from splitting.I mention this because

some lunch (one of the benefits of working from home!) it was great to see the peppers still going strong.Peppers taste fantastic, they're good for you, easy to grow and they look attractive, especially when laden with fruit. I've grown a selection

About six years ago we planted a number of fruit trees in the field close to the house. We had great expectations, some of which were fulfilled almost immediately, while others were slower in coming (literally) to fruition.This year, for the first

Over the years I've planted dozens of fruit trees, and while some have been productive, carrying delicious crops, others have been very disappointing. So, why the disappointment? It's usually because I've chosen a new variety without having tasted