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planting-a-small-orchard

CakeladyCakelady Posts: 3
in Fruit & veg

I wonder if anyone can help, I have the opportunity to takeover the allotment next to mine, and would love to grow fruit trees. Would I have to enrich the soil over the whole plot, or could I just do where each tree will go? The plot is 122m sq and very clayey and full of stones, lots and lots of them.  I wouldn't have the time or money to do the whole thing. It's taken a few years to do my own!!

Any advice greatly apreciated.

Posts

  • addictaddict Posts: 659

    Hi Cakelady....love that name feeling peckish now image

    You shouldn't amend the soil at all when tree planting. According to the RHS it stops the trees developing a proper root system. They stay in the nice yummy bit of compost. I would just take out some of  the stones then mix the clay with a little compost just to make it settle properly. Make sure you splay the roots out too before planting and don't plant deeper than the root collar of the tree or it may girdle itself.

  • CakeladyCakelady Posts: 3

    Thanks for the reply addict.  I'm always looking for the easiest way to garden!! image

     

  • chickychicky Posts: 10,325

    Cakelady - make sure you choose trees that will be pollination partners for each other.  We planted some fruit trees a couple of years ago and found the Ashridge trees website really useful at explaining it all.  They even have mini videos of how to plant amd stake a tree.

  • CakeladyCakelady Posts: 3

    Thanks chicky, brilliant site. I think I'll be spending quite a while on there!

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