[RJR_38]

I have finished making my fruit cage and can plant in fruit bushes (I am guessing autumn time will be best). Has anyone got any good recommendations of places to buy them from? I am after dessert gooseberries, blackcurrants and other fruits as yet undecided. I have used blackmoor before for my bare root autumn raspberries but I wasn't particularly impressed by them...

[mumofstig]

Oh! I won't recommend them then, I was going to 

[RJR_38]

I know lots of people use them but only 2 out of my 5 bare-root raspberries actually grew... :(it obviously could be my fault as opposed to theirs but hard to tell..

Also, my cage is 2.7m wide by 5.4m long - do you think 5 bushes is unrealistic space-wise? I am thinking 2 gooseberries, a redcurrant, a blackcurrant and then maybe a loganberry or tayberry

[allotmentann]

Mailordertrees supplied the best by far of all the bushes I bought from various suppliers. 

[RJR_38]

Mailordertrees supplied the best by far of all the bushes I bought from various suppliers. 

I have just had a look and they do look good but nearly all of their soft fruits are out of stock until next year

[AnneB]

Always had high quality plants and good service from R V roger.

[Madame Cholet]

Buckingham nurseries all their bushes and tree have been healthy.

[Dai]

cant say for the quality but aldi have fruit bushes in as of today for £1.99 a plant

[BobE]

Also, my cage is 2.7m wide by 5.4m long - do you think 5 bushes is unrealistic space-wise? I am thinking 2 gooseberries, a redcurrant, a blackcurrant and then maybe a loganberry or tayberry

My
Goosberry,
RedCurrant,
Blackcurrant and
White currant
are each are at least a meter in diameter.  I have to cut to keep them in that space.
So, in my opinion,
If you planted 5 bushes, of your choice, down the center of your cage, then you would have ample room to pick/maintain.
You could also maybe plant strawberries along the edges of the cage.  You would need to stop them spreading.

[polly nator]

For exceptional quality and huge range of varieties, like AnneB,  I'd go to R V Roger of Pickering.  They produce a catalogue /price list.

Here is their website http://www.rvroger.co.uk/

If you can visit in person you'd love it. Totally unlike commercial garden centres. They grow a lot of heritage varieties.  They will despatch soft fruit from November

I used to live quite near to them but I will still make the trip to buy in person because they are all true plantsmen up there.

[Debz]

I bought blackcurrant, redcurrant, gooseberry and raspberry plants from Aldi a couple of years ago and they have been consistently marvellous since.  The only issue is they don't name their varieties and the raspberries are autumn ones which means on a warm autumn year I have picked fresh raspberries in November.  I am going to get some more today for my mum

[grinling]

tayberry massive so a frame similar to raspberry would be better.
could try freecycle/gumtree/preloved/fellow allotmenters

[m1ckz]

look around the plot,,must be a few thinning theres out,,,i did last year an gave loads away  gl

[RJR_38]

Thanks for the thought. The only problem with using cuttings etc is that it will take so long to fruit! At least if I buy a 2/3 year old plant I might get a tiny bit of fruit next year! (Yes I am impatient)

[BobE]

Thanks for the thought. The only problem with using cuttings etc is that it will take so long to fruit! At least if I buy a 2/3 year old plant I might get a tiny bit of fruit next year! (Yes I am impatient)

A goosberry cutting, (take at least four), will fruit a little in the second season and then gradually increase.  If you plant 4 or 8 cuttings you can thin them down at year three, after that harvest.  Take one out and let the others fill in the space.  I suppose the disadvantage of this is that they will all be the same variety.