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Wellington Fields Allotments - Hixon. |
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More Plough Field Allotments at Amerton
Gardening
Tips
Unusual
& Old
Unusual Environmental Issues And Going Green.
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Yet
More Fruit Trees! Under
a plum tree that was growing as a “Cordon” against a fence, at home,
I had planted two Josta Berries that I thought would grow well in the
space, but later I found out that they only produce fruit at a mature
size of 2 metres! Consequently I decided to dig them up while they were
dormant and take them up to the allotment. A lot of damage was done to
the roots as they were already quite big plants, but I am hoping that
with a bit of nursing, they will survive. Quite a few small branches
were also broken in the upheaval, but of course they were trimmed and
simply provided material for “Hardwood Cuttings.” A dozen or more 15
inch lengths were carefully pushed deeply into the freshly dug soil by
the big bushes and will be left until later in the Summer when hopefully
they will have rooted. Always
fascinated by fruit trees and bushes I was excited to see that my
Strawberry tree seems to be throwing up suckers, or at least shoots from
the main stem below soil level. With a lot of luck the shoots may well
start to root, so as I lost a mature plant the previous winter, a few
“free” young plants will be most welcome. People don’t normally
think of the unusual little “Strawberries” as being edible, but
according to one of the TV gardeners they are and I can personally vouch
for the fact that, although they have an odd feel in the mouth, they are
very tasty! If
the suckers do root they will be ideal fruit to grow on my allotment as
they will happily fruit as small bushes and another fruit tree that I
bought a little while ago, which has also produced an unexpected
opportunity, is a Kumquat. It was loaded with edible fruits on when I
bought it and as they are slowly ripening in the house, we are putting
them in our daily fruit salads. Normally the small fruits sold in the
shops don’t have any pips in, but these do, so yes I have planted a
few. Compared to other Citrus, like Oranges, Lemons, Limes and
Grapefruit, they are supposed to be fairly hardy, although nowadays, you
do sometimes see Oranges and Lemons advertised that claim to be frost
hardy. If the Kumquat pips grow well I might try a few small plants
outside in my allotment along with the other strangely assorted fruit! I
have still got two small Lychee plants upstairs at home, that I grew
from pips a couple of years ago. These will never be of any use
whatsoever as they really are tropical plants. But I am hoping that the
seeds of the (Acca) Feijoa Sellowiana, that are just germinating, will
be suitable for planting in my allotment.
The “Pineapple Guava,” as it is commonly called is a member
of the Myrtle family and has attractive, almost, Fuchsia-like blooms,
followed by delicious guava-flavoured, green fruit. The claims made are
that mature plants are quite hardy in mild winters, but severe frosts
can take the fruit buds in much the same way as with figs.
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