Properly selectedfruit bushes in the gardenwill be a source of excellent fruit for direct consumption and for preserves, in the period from the second decade of May until the first autumn frosts. Of thefruit bushes inhome gardens, the most commonly planted are currants, gooseberries, blackberries, raspberries, and highbush blueberries. See what fruit bushes are the easiest to grow and what to consider when choosingfruit bushes for the gardenor for the plot.
Fruit bushes in the garden - red currant
Which fruit bushes to choose for the garden
When choosingfruit shrubs for your garden , there are several factors to consider. In addition to our expectations as to the taste and use of fruit, it is also worth checking whether the desiredfruit bushes in the gardenwill have the appropriate conditions, whether we will be able to meet their growing requirements in terms of soil fertility and moisture , sunlight or growing temperature.
Since not all species andvarieties of fruit shrubshave the same frost resistance, it is worth making sure that the plant will grow he althy and regularly yield in our garden before buying. Red currants, white currants and gooseberries have the highest frost resistance.
Fruit bushes in the gardenthrive best in full sun, nutrient-rich soil, moderately moist throughout the growing season, with a high proportion of humus and slightly acidic. Only highbush blueberry, large-fruited cranberry and lingonberry have specific requirements for the pH of the substrate on which they are grown.For these three species, the soil reaction should be very low (pH below 4), i.e. strongly acidic soil.
Regular, well-balanced feeding of fruit bushes with organic or mineral fertilizers, as well as mulching the soil beneath them, preventing excessive growth of weeds and drying of the substrate are the basic care treatments that will ensure a bountiful harvest every year.
When going to the gardening store, it is worth having a listof species and varieties of fruit shrubsthat you want to buy in order not to make last-minute decisions and not choose something dubious only at the urging of the seller. In the shop, however, pay attention to the condition of the plants - all of them should be resilient, have firm roots, and the shoots should not show any signs of damage.
It is also worth knowing that there are specific requirements regarding the diameter of the shoots and the number of roots. And sofruit bushes of the first choiceshould have at least three shoots 5 mm thick for gooseberries, 7 mm for white and red currants, and 8 mm for black currants.The root bundle should not be shorter than 15 cm. Slightly different requirements are placed on raspberries. Here, the height of the shoots should be at least 80 cm, the thickness of the shoot 7 mm, each bush should also have at least three roots, 10 cm long.
Fruit bushes in the garden - black currant is less common than gooseberries
or red currant. It's a pity, because its berries are rich in nutrients.
Fruit bushes - currant
Currants are undoubtedly the most commonfruit shrubs inhome and allotment gardens. Among currants, we can choose between forms that produce black, red or white fruit - each of them has a different taste and aroma. Among the varieties of white currant we can recommend 'Blanka' with long clusters of slightly sour fruit ripening in the second decade of July and 'Biała z Jüterbbog' with high fertility, producing sweet fruit for dessert purposes.
The best red-fruited currants are 'Dutch Red' (high-yielding, producing long clusters of bright red fruit, ripening at the end of July), 'Rosetta' (producing abundant crops of long, shiny, light red, medium-sized clusters) and very fertile red currant 'Detvan' (medium-sized clusters, composed of large juicy fruits, intended mainly for desserts).Among black currants, the most recommendable are the 'Bona' varieties (medium fertility, but producing very large , tasty fruits grouped into short clusters, ripening quite early, already at the beginning of July) and 'Ceres' (with a high yield of long clusters, composed of medium-sized fruits ripening in the second decade of July).
Fruit bushes - gooseberries
The most popular varieties of gooseberries grown on the plots are 'Biały Triumf', which produces large yields of medium or large fruits with a yellow color and tasty, aromatic flesh, and 'Rzeszowski', which produces profusely, with large red-colored fruits.
Fruit bushes in the garden - spotted gooseberry
Unfortunately, both of these varieties are very easily affected by the American gooseberry mildew, a disease that causes very large losses in the fruit. Therefore, it is currently recommended to plant only varieties that are completely or partially resistant to mildew, such as: Invicta, Resistenta, Pax, Kamieniar, Niesłuchowski, Hinnonmaki Rot. Thanks to this, the care of gooseberries will be much less troublesome and will not require chemical protection of the planted bushes.
Fruit bushes - blackberry
The most valuable varieties of blackberries with a small number of spines on the shoots are 'Orkan' with medium fertility but very large fruits that ripen in August and September, and 'Gazda' with very tasty and aromatic but slightly smaller fruits. Both varieties were bred in Poland and successfully compete with foreign varieties previously planted, from which they are much more frost-resistant.As a result, growing blackberries in the garden is becoming more and more popular and less troublesome.
Fruit bushes - raspberry
Among raspberry bushes, you can choose between varieties that bear fruit on two-year-old shoots at the turn of June and July, and varieties that yield only in August and September on one-year shoots. Recommended varieties of raspberries to be planted in every orchard area include: 'Polka' (with large dessert fruit, ripening in July and August), 'Polana' (with intense red, tasty medium-sized fruit, suitable for direct consumption and for freezing, yielding in July on two-year-old shoots and in August and September on shoots annuals) and 'Morning Dew' (with yellow, aromatic fruits appearing from August until the first strong frosts).
Fruit bushes - blueberry
Highbush blueberries (American) are eagerly grown amateurs because of the taste of their berries, although sometimes they cause a bit of trouble if we are unable to provide them with the right conditions for growth.That is why it is worth choosing varieties of American blueberry, especially recommended for amateur cultivation on plots, such as blueberry 'Bluecrop', which is frost-resistant, tolerates drought well and is characterized by low susceptibility to diseases.
If the cultivation of American blueberry seems too troublesome to us, it is worth considering the medium blueberry. Medium blueberry, often also called semi-high blueberry, is a cross between low blueberry and highbush blueberry. These crosses took over the features of lowbush blueberry - greater resistance to freezing and more aromatic and sweet fruit, and than highbush blueberry - improved fruit size and color. These shrubs grow smaller than in the case of high blueberries and need to be planted more densely, but there is room for them even in the smallest blueberries. We recommend the Swedish varieties - 'Putte' and 'Emil', and the American varieties - 'North Country' and 'Northblue'.
