[Will1983]

i have finally put my fence up at the bottom of my plot so now im looking for a nice fruit tree i can grow up it.

the fence is south facing with nothing to put it into shadow but it is at the bottom of a north facing slope with heavy clay soil that stays relatively moist all year round.

i fancy getting something unusual that should crop well and most of all taste great, has anyone any suggestions as to what sort of thing would be suitable?

[gillie]

How about a quince if you want something unusual?  However I think that most fruit trees would thrive here provided it does not get too wet.

[Yorkie]

Something that occurs to me is whether the fruit tree is likely to be in a frost pocket?  The fence will trap any cold air which sinks down the slope., and the slope is north-facing so less likely to get sun early in the day to raise the temperature.  Have you noticed heavier frost on the ground at the foot of the slope?

I don't know enough about fruit trees to know whether this is a real problem or one which will have no impact at all; hopefully someone else will be able to comment.

[gillie]

Good point about the frost pocket.  Is the fence solid? or will it let some air through?  It is the fruit tree blossom that is tender, so provided the cold air can 'drain' somewhat you should be ok, but it would be better to avoid the early flowering slightly dodgy trees like peaches and apricots.

[Kleftiwallah]

       Lucky so and so !    

Best wishes but I think a cherry fan or espalier trained would be best.    Cheers Tony.

[arugula]

That sounds like an almost perfect situation for a Passion Flower whose fruit is almost always edible, if only the ground wasn't quite the way you describe it. Would it be possible to improve the ground? Less exotic but still a bit unusual, how about Loganberries or Tayberries?

[Will1983]

the fence is solid with a 6-8" gap at the bottom and i haven't noticed of the frost is worse down there.

a passion flower sounds great though i take it id have to dig loads of manure into the area before planting. also where do you buy them from or is it a seed only job?

id thought about a cherry trained into a fan myself though i dont really know anything about them.

thanks everyone for your help

[arugula]

Will,

You can buy passion flower plants online and I would imagine, at some of the fancier garden centres.

[compo]

 If you can find a heritage variety of apple, you would be contributing something to our countries great apple history, two types on m26 stock, espaliered,  would be good for heavy soil.

[Swing Swang]

I'd go for a quince as well - they'll grow quite happily next to a river, so the fact that the area is damp shouldn't be a problem.