Kitchen Garden Forum

Merry Xmas everyone.

Hope everyone has had a good holiday so far,with no dredded lurgie creeping up on you!!!

I was planning to grow a cherry tree. But here is the tricky bit!!! I live very close to the sea (about 200 to 300 yards), and live in the very far north ( I can see Orkney from the back door). So my question is do you think I should bother or not!!

Fan-trained Morello against a sheltered wall?

FW33, we live not nearly as northerly as you do, but our garden and particularly allotment are at a fair height and very open to the elements from the west. We would certainly not succeed in growing a decent cherry tree. I think it's the wind, the lack of insects for pollination and possibly the lack of sunshine to ripen the fruit. Our one apple tree just about works, but stone fruit certainly does not. Having said that, one allotment neighbour has put up some dense windshield netting and his plums and greengages succeed in SOME years.

Hello FF33
I think that by far your biggest problem will be birds.
They just love cherries and it is very difficult to protect even small trees against them.
Over the years I have twice tried to grow cherries. The trees grew fine and fruited well but the birds defeated me both times.

John

Unless you have a truely massive wall my suggestion is nettable .

We had a cherry tree on our allotment but never managed to get a cherry all to ourselves. The birds always got there first - in spite of our gallant attempts at netting.

Probably be ok with a dwarf cherry in a very large fruit cage.

Hi FW33

I notice from Googleearth that the area to the east of Thurso is not well endowed with trees. Is this because of the wind? If I lived there I would not bother to plant trees

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Thurso, ... 8&t=h&z=13

Hi peeps

Thanks for the replies!!!!

Yes alan can be v windy here. Yep you spoted the lack of trees. They tend to grow to about 4 foot then horizontal from there!! I have managed to gow a rowan to a decent height (about 9 foot) but that has taken it about 15 years .

Ahh well shall have to gutt out the old fruit cage and fill it with currants and gooseberries. Never minde.


Almost forgot HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone