Wall Fruit
1st July 2005

The walls of the dwelling, garage and any outhouses will provide you with the opportunity to extend your garden by growing plants vertically.

Those facing south and west will be warm and are particularly suited to growing fruit such as apples, pears, plums, cherries and peaches.

A fruit tree has a long life and with good planting it will provide pleasure and fruit for years.

The soil at the base of a wall is usually a mixture of topsoil, builders rubble and clay. Close to the wall there is a strip that seldom sees rain and when it does get wet the wall and the foundations soon absorb the moisture.

Dig a large hole and add a layer of rotted farmyard manure or old compost to the base. Mix 100-150 grams of bone meal through the excavated topsoil. Position the tree with the graft union (the swollen area on the stem just above the roots) above ground level. Work the soil through the roots and firm with your foot. Dish the surface of the soil to retain water and water well to settle the soil around the roots.

It will be necessary to train the tree to grow against the wall with the branches spaced allowing the fruit to be in sunlight.

Some form of wall support will be essential to tie the trained branches to. For fan shaped fruit trees secure a 6ft x 6 ft timber trellis panel to the wall. Espalier trees can be tied to horizontal, galvanised wires 15 inches apart and fixed to the wall with vine eyes or hooks.

Trained fruit trees will need to be pruned in summer to shorten the new shoots and again in winter to further reduce their length. The section of wood remaining produces fat buds which are the fruit buds for next spring.

Feed in late July or early August with a balanced fertilizer. In late summer give a single liquid feed of a high potash fertilizer. This will harden the new growths and help the plant prepare for winter.

Unfortunately fruit trees suffer from serious pests and diseases and regular attention and inspection will pay dividends.

The rootstock that the fruit tree has been grafted on to is as important as the variety of fruit. Generally there are both vigorous and dwarf rootstocks available in garden centres.

Where you decide on self- fertile varieties then a single tree will bear fruit. Most varieties however require a pollinating variety. Choose those that are compatible assisting each other with pollination.

Home grown fruit tastes better.

back to John's index page