Bush fruits for summer feasts

Plant currants and gooseberries now and enjoy bumper crops next year. Martin Fish shares his advice on preparing the soil, planting, pruning and aftercare to get your bushes off to the best start

- Martin Fish

Plant currants and gooseberries now and enjoy bumper crops next year.

Martin Fish shares his advice on preparing the soil, planting, pruning and aftercare to get your bushes off to the best start

Many fruits fall into the soft fruit category, and some of the best-known fruits we grow are gooseberries, blackcurrants, redcurrants and white currants, and now is a great time to get started with them.

By planting a selection of soft fruit bushes in your garden or allotment, you can have a steady supply of tasty, delicious summer fruits that can be eaten fresh from the bush, frozen, bottled or preserved to enjoy all year round. Not only are they tasty, but they are also easy to grow, and the fruits are packed full of vitamins and antioxidants.

WHERE TO GROW

All soft fruit bushes grow best in a fertile, well-drained soil that has been enriched with well-rotted manure or garden compost to add plenty of organic matter. This acts as a sponge to help retain moisture in the summer on lighter, sandy soils, and on clay soils it opens up the structure to aid drainage in winter.

All prefer a light position where they will get sun for much of the day, but they will be perfectly fine with a little shade for part of the time.

Currants and gooseberries are not too fussy about the pH of the soil as long as it's been well prepared.

If planting several bushes, spacings vary from 1.2m (4ft) to 1.5m (5ft), depending on the varieties being grown. However, wider spacing allows for extra room for pruning and harvesting.