Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi All,

Perhaps you would put your collective expertise to work for me?

Yesterday I had my veg patch separated from the rest of the garden with 35ft of 4-foot-high trellis. It cuts a swathe across the grass at the moment but I'd like to grow stuff up it.

Given that (other than grass) if it doesn't contribute to the table I don't grow it, what are your suggestions for planting?

I think the open side faces SSE if that makes a difference and there's no tree cover.

Thanks all.

Lawrence

How about cordon trained fruit trees? They will fit on a four foot high fence ok if you lie them low enough. Or you could train currants etc. as a productive screen? For veg, trailing squashes, toms and cucumbers will scramble along ok.

Thanks Deb,

Its looking good. I've got room for two more raised beds as as well as the line of the trellis. I'd thought about espalliaed (sp) fruit. Is it difficult and what are the yeilds like?

I've got a bed full of soft fruit and maybe that will transfer to the trellis (rasberries, logan berries etc) and free up the raised bed for other stuff.

Thanks again.

Loz

Espalier apples are fairly easy.

Get the right rootsock, which will control the vigour of growth and you should be fine. Follow the guidance in the RHS Fruit Garden book and you'll do fine.

I have a Catshead and Bramley as a screen at the foot of one of my plots, well they will be in a few more years.

Top tip, be spot on timing and careful with force applied when doing the bending down on side shoots, they tend to break off the main stem at the top.