Fortified by Tomato and Red Lentil soup, followed by Victoria Sandwich Cake (!) we had a good look round the gardens.
After doing a lot of reading about fruit growing lately I had a mental shopping list and was thrilled to discover a number of fruit trees I was interested in....it was a hard choice but I purchased a Pear called Beth and a purple grape to go in the polytunnel. Both are being delivered later in the week!! Although at first they seem a bit pricier than those online, in fact they are much bigger plants ready to bear fruit.
That decision made we headed off to Tom and Joe's Nursery over the river, and again found an interesting selection of fruit. A Japanese Wineberry was high on my list of things I wanted to try out, and so I had to grab one of those.
I managed to resist Peach trees (for now), but succumbed to a pot of Ruby Chard as I only have plain Chard in the garden. Once I got the Chard home I was able to divide into 5 plants and pot on. So that has to be a bargain for £1.25.
Somehow, wineberries have naturalized to the extent that they are considered weeds in my part of the US. They volunteer quite readily, and we are happy to have them. The nice thing about them is that the Japanese beetles completely ignore them, while feasting on the raspberries right nearby. Wineberries are delicious, but here's a little tip: they look right a day or two before they're fully ripe. The really ripe berries darken to a true wine color. When picked to early they are quite tart. The sweetness needed to balance that tartness comes at the very end. Oh, and the plants will spread by rooting wherever the canes touch the ground, so you can have more if you want them. Have fun with them!
ReplyDeleteCan recommend the pear Beth - I got one a while back, as Bean's name is Bethany; gave well over a dozen fruit last year, on its first fruiting. Loaded with blossom this year :))
ReplyDeleteMrsL
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Kate - thanks for the tip, I'll bear that in mind.
ReplyDeleteMrs L - that's good to hear - it has had quite a bit of blossom on, so I'm hoping for one to taste...but that maybe a bit optimistic!