| Discover how to grow your own... |
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...fruit trees and berries within the UK |
PlantforLife and the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) have teamed up with celebrity plantsman, Chris Collins to champion the next phase of ‘grow your own’ gardening by educating people with simple tips on how easy it is to plant and grow fruit trees and berries in containers or a small space in the garden.
David Gilchrist from the Horticultural Trades Association comments; “Despite the surge in grow your own gardening; many people still overlook the possibilities of home grown fruits and berries. But, there is an increasing number of tasty, unusual fruit such as gooseberries and loganberries that will happily grow in the UK climate. Growing your own fruit can be very rewarding – not only does it taste better, but is friendly to the environment and more importantly, you know where it’s come from”. 
Celebrity plantsman, Chris Collins comments, “Small fruits and berries are nutritious, easy to grow at home and relatively low-maintenance, but planting them is a long-term commitment and it can take several seasons before fruit is seen. As the greatest abundance of fruit tends to appear in late summer and early autumn, it’s important to plant them during the autumn and early winter”.
Strawberries are the best choice to grow as they take up little space, are easy to maintain and their delicious fruit can be eaten straight from the plan. Their trailing habit makes them ideal for growing in containers or hanging baskets and the plants are cheap and easy to propagate.
 Fruit trees are often referred to as a top fruit and can be further divided into two categories. PIP Fruit involves apples and pears and Stone Fruit involves plums, apricots, peaches, greengages, nectarines, cherries and damsons. Each type of fruit tree has a wide range of varieties and, by careful selection; fruit can be produced over a long period in summer for storage into autumn. It is best to grow different varieties of the same fruit near to one another to improve pollination and produce the best crop.
Growing your own can be very rewarding and satisfying. Click here to download Chris’s top tips on how to grow and maintain your favourite varieties of fruit tress and berries. 
For additional information download the HTA & RHS Easy Guide to Growing Fruit to help you grow the most suitable fruits and berries in your garden.
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