Many rural gardens still have the remnants of an old orchard, or the memory of one exists. These may consist of just a couple of trees, or a bigger number. Old apple, pear and plum trees may be kept just for their decorative value but might not carry much crop, or do so intermittently, and are usually too big to manage. Modern trees are much smaller, take up less space, and are relatively easy to look after.

There is a wide range of fruits that can be grown in most gardens: apples, pears and plums; gooseberries, black currants, red and white currants; raspberries, loganberries, tayberries and blackberries; strawberries and blueberries.

Cherries and greengages are possible too, but considerably more difficult. Peaches and grapes can be grown in a greenhouse, but are not successful outdoors, except on a warm wall with polythene sheeting draped over them.

All fruit crops need a good fruit-growing soil and site. The ideal soil is a deep, fertile, free-draining, acid brown earth loam.

Moving away from the ideal, to heavy ground or very light soil, the chances of regular good crops are reduced.

Heavy land gives vigorous growth with reduced flowering and fruiting and more disease. Wet land and peaty bog are generally disastrous for fruit, but large planting mounds might improve results.

Avoid frost pockets on low-lying ground — a slight slope to drain away cold air on a frosty night will improve results. All fruit crops do best in full, open sunlight. Fruit crops need good shelter for improved air temperatures, with some air movement to dry the foliage after rain and lessen disease. Too much shelter can favour diseases. The best fruit-growing soils and conditions are east of a line from Cork to Antrim. Good weed control is essential for best results with fruit.

Apples are still by far the most popular fruit and easiest to grow. On a good site, a good crop can be expected in nine or 10 years out of 10. The best early fruiting variety is ‘Discovery’. ‘Lord Lambourne’ ‘Red Devil’, ‘Topaz’ and ‘Winston’ are good varieties with disease resistance. They ripen in the order given.‘Bramley’s Seedling’ is the best cooking variety, keeps well, but it can be affected by apple scab and canker, especially on heavy ground. Apple trees grown on M26 rootstock, which is semi-dwarfing, make a tree of good size, not too big.

Pears are less tolerant of poor growing conditions, and drainage must be good. The three usual varieties are ‘Conference’, ‘Williams Bon Chretien’ and ‘Doyenne du Comice’, the first two are quite reliable about cropping, giving pears most years; the third is a pollinator for both and the best quality of the lot.

In good localities, expect pears seven or eight years out of 10. Plums are more hit and miss than either apples, which flower after pears, or pears, which flower after plums. By flowering early, there is a greater chance of being hit by frost, which is why plums are not as reliable, and even more so in inland areas and north-facing slopes. The best plum variety is ‘Victoria’, most reliable and good flavour too, but unfortunately very prone to silver-leaf disease, especially after it breaks branches with too heavy a crop.

Black currants are quite reliable, except in areas where late frosts are common. ‘Ben Lomond’ is a variety widely offered, reliable with good yields because it is late-flowering. ‘Red Lake’ is a common red currant variety, though often just sold as red currant. ‘White Versailles’ is the usual white currant variety. The best gooseberry is ‘Invicta’, because it is resistant to mildew. ‘Glen Clova’, ‘Malling Jewel’ and ‘Leo’ are good raspberry varieties, cropping in order, with ‘Autumn Bliss’ and yellow-fruited ‘Fallgold’, good autumn-fruiting kinds. Tayberry is excellent and loganberry too, an older hybrid berry, both sold under those names.

Of the strawberries, ‘Elsanta’ is an excellent variety of very good flavour and the older ‘Cambridge Favourite’ is still around. The best blueberry variety is ‘Blue Crop’ but needs acid soil and protection from birds. Fruit plants are at their most available now and can be planted right away.

Pruning fruit trees and bushes

All fruit plants, except strawberries, need annual pruning once established. In general, try to keep the centre of apple, pear and plum trees open. Remove some older shoots each year, on plums after fruiting and on apples and pears in winter. Shorten other shoots to about half. Shorten leafy growth in summer if the trees are vigorous. Gooseberries and red currants are pruned back to five or six permanent branches. Blackcurrants and blueberries should have some old shoots removed close to ground level each year. Raspberries and tayberries should have all of the old fruited shoots removed after fruiting. Autumn raspberries are cut down to a few centimetres in spring.

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Fruit, vegetables and herbs

Clear away old vegetables that have gone over, and control weeds on vegetable ground. If the soil is in good condition, digging can be carried out. If it is wet, digging should be delayed. Fruit tree pruning can be carried out, except on plums. Fruit trees and bushes can be planted if the ground is not too sticky and wet.

Flowers

Even though it is late, plant any spring bulbs that were purchased but not planted. Lift and divide perennial flowers. If the ground is sticky, put off any division and re-planting. Many flowers react very badly to being moved into cold, wet ground. If not done, take in or cover tender flowers, such as begonias and cannas.

Lawns

An occasional spell of dry weather, when the ground firms up enough to allow it to be walked on and to carry a mower, will offer an opportunity to carry out mowing to keep lawns neat. Tidy edges too. Control moss with sulphate of iron. Now that the leaves are down, make sure to remove any that are resting on areas of lawn.

Trees, shrubs and roses

Continue planting hedges and young trees as whips in good soil conditions. Roses can be tidied up in cold districts, shortened to prevent wind-rocking, and fully pruned in mild areas. This is also a good time to plant roses, as they will root well before new spring growth. Roses do not go completely dormant in most winters.

Greenhouse and house plants

Do not leave house plants behind drawn curtains on cold nights, and be careful not to over-water or leave the pots standing in a saucer of water. Tidy the greenhouse of all plant debris and dead or dying plants. Wash pots and seed trays to have them ready for use in a few weeks’ time. Prune a grapevine now, while it is dormant.