Fruit masterclass: best expert content

Do you want to grow fresh fruit in your garden, allotment or balcony? We’ve brought together a wealth of expert videos and articles to help you choose the best fruit plants for bumper crops of delicious produce. Everything you need to know to start growing fruit is here, whether it’s classic berries and currants or exotic melons and kiwi fruit.

This article was reviewed by T&M’s horticultural team and updated on 28th May 2024.

Try growing unusual berries

A jostaberry (Casseille) is a hybrid of the gooseberry and blackcurrant, explains Tanya of Lovely Greens. This hybrid combines the best features of the parent plants, and produces large sweet black berries. Try planting less well known varieties in your garden but, says Tanya, remember to net your fruit bushes just before the berries start to ripen to hold off marauding pigeons. If you’re looking for inspiration, find out which nine favourite berry bushes Tanya grows in her fruit patch.

Plant pink currants in containers

Over on Thompson & Morgan’s blog, find everything you need to know about planting and pruning soft fruit. Even if you don’t have a big garden, there are lots of fruits that grow well in containers. Pink currants are an excellent choice for your patio or balcony, producing delicious fruits and requiring very little maintenance other than a light prune in the winter months. Try our popular pink currant ‘Gloire de Sablon’ for something you can’t buy in the supermarket.

Water newly planted currants at the base

After you’ve planted a new blackcurrant bush, water it really well at the base of the plant, says Claire of popular YouTube channel Claire’s Allotment. And, she adds, don’t use the rosette setting on your watering can as this spreads the water too much and prevents it from reaching deep down into the roots. If you want to add compost to your newly planted currant, Claire suggests that you check to see if it contains added slow-release fertiliser – you don’t want to damage your plants by accidentally overfeeding later on!

Find clever uses for redcurrant gluts

Have you got a glut of redcurrants on your hands? See how Instagrammer @stellabellaestampa freezes part of her crop for use later in the year when fresh berries are no longer available. If your redcurrants aren’t quite looking their best, she suggests disguising them in an impressive (and easy) meringue pie to wow friends and family. Don’t forget to leave a few for the birds to enjoy too. Head over to Stella’s post for the recipe!

Gooseberries are a good choice for beginners

Are you a newcomer to fruit growing? Try starting with gooseberries, says Benedict of Youtube channel GrowVeg. Gooseberries, he explains, “are hardy, grow easily in most soil types, and self pollinate so you can start your fruit journey with just one plant.” Benedict’s excellent video explains the difference between culinary and dessert varieties, and shows you how to grow gooseberries from planting to harvest.

Prune your gooseberry into a goblet shape

Gooseberries usually fruit from vertical growth, explains Tony of Simplify Gardening. Watch him demonstrate how to prune your gooseberries in this helpful video, as he cuts horizontal branches back down to their first upright shoots. Tony compares the shape of a well pruned gooseberry bush to a goblet, emphasising the hollow middle which encourages air flow and discourages pests like sawfly from laying their eggs on the exposed leaves.

Grow blueberries in acidic soil for the best results

For blueberries, “the pH you’re trying to achieve is between 4 and 5,” advises Emma, AKA The Unconventional Gardener. If your garden soil is naturally alkaline, she recommends growing your plants in containers of ericaceous compost and using rainwater to water this acid loving fruit. Emma’s article: Blueberries: grow your own superfood, is packed full of practical pointers that will help new and established growers alike.

Prune blueberries during the winter months

Writing for the T&M blog, Mandy Bradshaw, AKA The Chatty Gardener, recommends pruning your blueberry bush during dormancy. At this time of year it’s easier to separate the plumper fruit producing buds from the leaf buds, which are thinner, she explains. Find where and how to make the best cuts in her fantastic blueberry pruning guide. There’s also a helpful video demonstration to show you how it’s done.

Identify your raspberry type before pruning

There are two different types of fruiting raspberry plants, says Gary from The Allotment Garden and Kitchen. Summer raspberries fruit on the previous year’s growth, and are technically known as floricanes. Autumn raspberries fruit on fresh spring growth and are called primocanes. Gary shows you how to recognise the two types, important when it comes to pruning and helping first year raspberry growers get a crop. Check out his friendly and informative video on how to grow raspberries for lots more top tips.

Layer your berries to encourage new plants to root

When layering your berries, such as blackberries and loganberries, remember to lightly wound the stem with a knife to encourage rooting, says Huw Richards. Secure the wounded stem section down on the soil with a stick so the new plant can develop. Watch as Huw expertly demonstrates his two favourite methods, tip layering and simple layering, effective for strawberries and gooseberries too.

Use strawberry runners to create free new plants

“Strawberries like to reproduce by growing runners each year,” says Instagrammer Flo at her popular page @perma_flo. These are baby plants that want to root, she explains. Flo gently pegs down the strawberry runners dangling from her vertical plants into a pot of compost using a hand fork. See Flo’s full method in her post, including tips on how and when to separate them from the parent plant.

Mix up your fruit plants to avoid gluts

If a huge harvest of one fruit crop starts to become too much to deal with, don’t be afraid to remove a bush or two to make way for a new type of fruit, says Woody, creator of youtube channel Cumbrian Homestead. Watch his video as he replaces a gooseberry with a loganberry and shows off his ingenious post and wire support. Top tip from Woody — add a handful of blood, fish and bone into the planting hole to get your new berry bush off to the best start.

Strawberry ‘Just Add Cream’ ticks all the boxes

Strawberry season is a much anticipated time of the year for Instagrammer Claire, creator of @pegsplot. Take a look at her post about the gorgeous pink-flowering strawberry ‘Just Add Cream’, an unusual variety with pretty flowers and super sweet fruit. Claire says that ‘Just Add Cream’ ticks all the boxes for a smaller garden, being both ornamental and productive. “That first warm strawberry straight from the plant won’t be too far off now, and I hope it’s the same for you” she says!

Give watermelon plants plenty of space

After sowing a couple of T&M’s Watermelon ‘Mini Love’ F1 hybrid seeds, Holly H of @mummybeargrows shared a great photo of her watermelon flowers and miniature developing fruits. If you want to have a go at growing your own watermelons, Holly advises that you’ll need plenty of space. She says, “I can already see that the biggest issue I’m going to have is supporting the sprawling vine and any growing fruit in my already packed 2x3m tunnel.” Check out Holly’s Instagram post for the whole story!

Remember to label your melons

It can get confusing when the polytunnel fills in summer! Market gardener Nicky Brett may have muddled the labels but her two mystery melon varieties are doing exceptionally well. “I’m sure the hot weather is helping,” she says of the terrific growth. If you’re a fan of natural plant dyes and want to pick up top fruit and veg growing tips, @nickybrettplantsandherbs is definitely one to follow!

Choose melon ‘Alvaro’ for a good outdoor crop

Grow Melon ‘Alvaro’ says Instagrammer Elena of @little_green_tomato: “It needed hardly any attention and didn’t take much room at all, just tucked behind the tomatoes.” If you’re unsure when your melons are properly ripe for harvesting, Elena said the smell in her polytunnel gave them away! A polytunnel is the perfect place to grow melons, however Alvaro can be grown outdoors in the UK too. Check out Elena’s post for a pic of her enticing freshly sliced melon!

Plant male and female kiwi vines for more fruits

Make sure you grow a male and a female kiwi plant to encourage fruiting, advises John Harrison of blog Allotment & Gardens. “All female varieties tend to crop better so long as there is a male plant nearby to pollinate them. The ideal ratio is one male per three or four females,” says John. If you would rather grow just one vine, he recommends planting a self-pollinating variety that will crop reliably without any other kiwis around. John’s article is a fantastic guide containing everything you need to grow kiwis outdoors.

Provide a strong support for a kiwi vine

For @poppy.okotcha, growing her own kiwi vine ensures that she can avoid buying expensive and unethically produced kiwi fruit. Expect your vine to fruit three years after planting, says Poppy, and treat the plant like a long term investment. It grows hard and fast though, so make sure you give your vine something sturdy to climb up. Check out her favourite varieties to grow and find more essential kiwi tips in her excellent Instagram post.

Avoid black plastic containers when growing grapes

Always choose a wooden container to grow your grape vines in, says Dan of Home Gardens. That’s because grapes don’t like to have warm roots, and wooden pots absorb less heat than black plastic. Dan stresses that grape vines need to be moved outdoors for a short period during the winter months as the cold stimulates growth and keeps the plant healthy. Remember to check the variety too. You don’t want to pick a bitter wine grape expecting a sweet dessert flavour! Check out Dan’s video to learn how to grow grapes in containers.

Try cape gooseberries for bumper harvests

Ann Marie Hendry of Instagram page @that.vegetablist grows her two cape gooseberry plants inside a greenhouse, describing them as the ‘surprise hit of the year’ after harvesting 160 fruits! Ann Marie reminds us that plants can be cut back completely at the end of the year — especially after frost damage and a botrytis hit. Remember to give your plants plenty of space to develop, she says. Check out Ann’s cape gooseberry plants over at her Instagram grid now.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our selection of fantastic fruit growing content, and have found plenty of inspiration to get you started! Find helpful fruit growing advice and resources over on our dedicated hub page. Or if you’re keen to try something new, learn everything you need to know about growing currants here.We always love to hear from you – please share your own fruit growing successes with us via #YourTMGarden on social media. Happy planting!