soft fruit
susan902
Posts: 3
in Fruit & veg
I planted a soft fruit garden last year and it seems well established. Other than mulching can you use a groundcover plant underneath to reduce weeding?
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susan902
Posts: 3
susan902
Posts: 3
Posts
Not sure about this; raspberries and blackcurrants tend to be shallow rooted, so anything planted for ground cover would be competing with them for water and nutrients.
Just use a mulch. Compost, well rotted FYM, or even newspaper weighed down with grass cuttings.
Read up on forest gardening. Lots of ideas there for ground cover plants
Thank you I will!
Do you think creeping phlox would work instead of mint?
I don't know about phox, but I certainly wouldn't put mint under soft fruit, it's much too vigorous and hungry.
GM - my raspberries have gone feral and are happily growing and fruiting in long grass and out-competing stinging nettles. I really don't think they are as fragile as you might imagine.
You need to look for plants that are moderately shade tolerant as they'll be under the bushes - so yes, phlox may be OK. It won't like being stepped on and because it flowers, it will reduce the potassium available to the fruit more than a less floriferous plant like mint. I expect it will depend on the fruit. Vigorous plants like raspberries and goosegogs, or climbers like loganberries or blackberries, should be fine. Currants will probably be OK once the bushes are established.