[moose]

Now that I have a full size allotment I would like to grow more fruit bushes in my garden. I already have blueberries x3, blackcurrants x2, redcurrants x2, one gooseberry and one jostaberry. Are there any of the other fruits now available, some I've never seen or tasted  -Aronia berry for instance, that you can recommend. I don't always believe the catalogue descriptions that this is the sweetest, bestest fruit you could possibly eat so I'd rather have personal recommendations. Should be reasonably easy to look after and suitable for either eating or freezing. Jam making is not a priority. Am I asking too much?

[Lincolnshire Floyd]

How is your Jostaberry this year? Mine is loaded for the first time and I've been waiting for four years for it to fruit. Are they any good to eat? How do you keep your blue berries acidic?

[Beetroot queen]

We have tayberries, sloe berries, blackcurrant, redcurrant, mountain cranberry, raspberry, gooseberry, japenese wineberry, loganberry (i think) i am sure it is.  not sure what else we have it now apart from strawberries normal and alpine.

Oh and a thornless blackberry. Oh and a goji berry, thats new never tried it before.

[RJR_38]

How much space (roughly) do fruit bushes need? If my fruit cage I build is 2m x 6m then how many bushes do you think I can get in?

[Trillium]

From info that suppliers gave me, aronias are not particularly sweet although they are nutritious. Some aronias are strictly for landscaping and yield no berries so if you decide to try it, be sure you ask for the edible fruit variety.

You could try goji berries (extremely hardy everywhere), haskaps/honeyberries, grapes, highbush cranberries, gold raspberries, red gooseberries, thornless blackberry, shrub cherries.

RJR - not very many and it depends on the fruit. Honeyberries need 3 sq ft each, and that's after severe pruning. Raspberries can be controlled in rows but will always try to escape. Blueberries need approx 2 sq ft each if kept pruned but I allow 3 sq ft for each of mine

[Beetroot queen]

Our beds are 8x3 and we tend to have two plants in most, ie two blueberries, two redcurrants, two blackcurrants,
Raspberries well its a forest in those beds.

My mountain cranberry is under the pear tree as its a ground cover.

[RJR_38]

I have autumn raspberries elsewhere so that is fine. If I allow 3ft square per bush then I could squeeze in 10 but realistically probably 6-8 -if I do 3-4 down each side. I might also make it slightly wider than 2m with this in mind. Think I can get up to 2.4m so this will be useful path space down the middle.

This gives me a good basis to do some planning, thanks

[Trillium]

I've offset all my plants (think zigzag) so they're not so squashed but still have airflow and minimal root competition. It doesn't give as many plants but they're much happier and I never have problems.

[moose]

The jostaberries are 2 years old and loaded with fruit, I've only eaten a friends which is why I got one as I liked them. Some find them a little tart. The blueberries are in 50 litre pots and I replenish the ericaceous compost every other year.

Thornless blackberry sound interesting-how rampant is it? Didn't like the goji berry that I tried but the local health food shop buys them from another allotment holder (not really allowed). Have you had any fruit from the wineberries yet? I believe the bush can grow to ten feet tall!

[RJR_38]

I've offset all my plants (think zigzag) so they're not so squashed but still have airflow and minimal root competition. It doesn't give as many plants but they're much happier and I never have problems.

That is a good idea. I will have to do some careful planning