with Lucy Chamberlain, AG’s fruit and veg expert
A photography TI Media, unless otherwise credited
Bottom inset: Alamy
Cherries such as this ‘Morello’ also grow well with a fan-trained shape
Stepover shapes are ideal for apples like this ‘Discovery’
Peach ‘Rochester’ is an ideal candidate for shaping into a fan-type framework
Focus on... Training new trees
If you want to grow fruit in a small space, why not shape your tree as a fan, espalier or cordon? It can make crops easier to pick and even extend the harvest season, says Lucy
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ARLY spring is a time of optimism, so how better to encapsulate that than by planting a new fruit tree or bush? With many of us having limited space for full-sized trees, let’s look at the options for small-space growers…
Joy in the small things Does growing fruit in a small space limit your enjoyment? Absolutely not! A mature fan, espalier or cordon (see page 18) is incredibly ornamental. Training trees in these ‘restrictive’ shapes allows us to grow many more varieties. This extends the fresh harvest season, brings diversity to our taste buds, and allows us to flex our horticultural skills. Tied in stems are easier to pick, especially if the
“Training gives a chance to extend the harvest season”
stems are thorny. Plus, picking fruit from small trees is a synch: no ladders needed! How to yield fruit When training trees and bushes, there is one fundamental aspect to grasp: how that plant bears fruit. Some, like apples and pears, predominantly produce their fruit buds on short, stubby spurs that arise from main stems. This makes them ideal for espaliers, stepovers and cordons where stems are trained into
Apples like ‘Kidd’s Orange Red’ form short, stubby fruiting spurs
permanent positions. Initially the objective is to build up these ‘framework’ stems, then maintenance consists of thinning the spurs annually. Plums, peaches, gages, cherries, nectarines and apricots (collectively stone fruits) bear fruit along the length of one- and two-year-old wood. This habit is ideal for fan training, where fulllength stems are tied in for a few years, then cut out partially or completely to let younger wood crop in their place.
Cordon-trained Pear ‘Merton Pride’ 1 FEBRUARY 2020 AMATEUR GARDENING
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