First Things First

Fruit bushes were the first things that I wanted to get planted in the spring. I intended to get started on this very early in the new year, but it was February before I made the first purchase - a green Gooseberry - 'Hinnomaki Green'. At this point I hadn't read much about a Gooseberries requirements, but the fond memories of eating them at home were enough to convince me. 

I bought a potted plant, from Garden Park Garden Centre near Clevedon while on a bike ride, and carried it back to Bristol in my pannier. At £9 I thought this was a little on the steep side, especially as Wilko were selling them for three pounds something. However, the Wilko plants were already in leaf, and packed into very small root bags. For a bush that I will grow for several years (hopefully!) and that would require a relatively large amount of other resources, I think it is worth making a bit of an investment of it - see below.

Here it is, planted up in March, into a mix of top soil, manure and peat free compost, in a 45L container (Wilko - about £5). I had to drill holes into the bottom of the container for drainage, which a hand drill managed just fine.

The next thing I wanted was a Tayberry, or Loganberry. There is very little advice on whether these can be grown in pots, and after considering the matter, decided to leave it for this year.

Instead, I took a trip to the Riverside Garden Centre next to the Grenville Smyth Park in Bristol, around the end of February. They had a really good selection of bare root fruit bushes and some in pots as well. The bare roots were cheaper, and the assistant told me I was just about in time to get them  planted.

 

Blackcurrent - 'Ben Connan

Jostaberry

I went for a Blackcurrent - 'Ben Connan' (I think... the label suggested a slightly smaller growing habit Cost: £4) - and, in a rather a rash moment, a Jostaberry bush (£5). This is a cross between a Blackcurrent and Gooseberry, giving berries that look like large Blackberries, but taste like neither parent, apparently. They are meant to form rather large bushes, so I wasn't too sure how well suited it was to the site, but never mind. Nothing ventured, no tasty berries gained.

Here they are, potted up the same container and soil mix as the Gooseberry.

Skip forward to early April.

The Gooseberry is doing very well. Lots of healthy looking leaves. Likewise the Blackcurrent, while the Jostaberry hasn't made a huge amount of progress. My books seem to be suggesting that cutting the new plants back in the first year is the way forward. I'm reluctant, as I want the fruit this year, but it may well be best, as it will encourage root development.

The other two are flowering. Exciting!

In the beginning...

At the end of last summer I was looking for a house to rent with friends, and we were keen on the idea of having some outdoor space. Finding a place with a garden that was affordable in the time we had was proving to be a mission impossible, so when we found a top floor maisonette that had access to a flat roof, we leaped at the chance. As soon as we moved in, I planted up some leggy tomato plants that I had been growing in the old flat, and put them out in the last of the summer sun. They ripened up nicely, providing a splash of colour on an otherwise rather barren roof top.

The best effort from 2010 - Tomato 'Minibel'

Around the same time, I noticed in a neighboring street that someone had converted the roof of their garage into a productive vegetable patch, using raised beds. I guessed our landlord (and the roof structure itself) wouldn't be up for that level of commitment, but it showed that you can get crops without a ground-level garden.

Through the following winter, while visiting my parents in Devon, I helped to dig over their allotment. Seeing the tasty things being planted fueled my desire to grow some food of my own.

So, starting in February this year, the operation to get some edible treats growing on the roof began!