Fruit is an essential element of a small plot. Fruit trees and bushes not only provide you with a supply of fresh food but also bring wildlife on to the land, especially pollinating insects. You don’t need much space to establish an orchard, and fruit bushes can be planted almost anywhere.
In a small space it is vital to maximize the opportunities to incorporate fruit trees and bushes. My own orchard is just 5m x 5m (16' x 16'), but I have fruit trees elsewhere too: a row of apple trees trained as a cordon along the north side of the vegetable patch; some espaliers along a dividing fence. Soft fruit bushes can be popped in as single plants, planted as rows around the vegetable beds, or contained in a fruit cage.
New boundary hedgerows can be enhanced by the inclusion of species that produce edible fruit. I have seen trained apple trees used to good effect in creating a productive barrier around a small orchard in which chickens were kept. The trees hid the unsightly livestock fence while the fallen apples were soon eaten by the chickens. So, think vertical when planning the use of space, and don’t waste the grass under the trees!
Traditionally, orchards had large standard trees, but modern cultivars are much smaller and so need less space. On a commercial scale, growers plant upwards of 400 trees to the hectare (2½ acres)! Choosing your trees can be the difficult bit – with more than 700 apple cultivars alone to choose from. Think about the ways in which you want to use your fruit, and that may help you select the trees. For example, you could opt for a selection of cooking, dessert and cider apples, with some pears, plums, damsons and possibly cherries.
A row of fruit trees planted just inside the boundary of this half-acre plot.
Small spaces are fine for fruit trees, especially the ‘bush’ types.
When choosing cultivars (cultivated varieties), think about geographical location, as cultivars suited to the cold winters and late springs of one region may not suit a warm sunny hillside in another, for example. So the best approach is to look for regional cultivars or even those that are local to your land, as these will be better suited to the conditions. If you are planning on selling your fruit or products from the fruit, it can be a good selling point to be able to say “made from local varieties of . . .”. Not all local varieties will be prolific fruiters, and they may be more susceptible to disease than some of the more highly bred cultivars, but heritage varieties need to be conserved, so by growing them you are doing your bit to conserve the genetic diversity of fruit trees. Different cultivars also vary in their resistance to disease, such as apple scab, and this is a particularly important consideration if you want to run the holding on organic principles.
A heritage variety of apple, ‘King of the Pippins’.
Other factors to consider are harvest time and storage. Different cultivars fruit at different times, which gives you the opportunity to spread your harvest. But if, say, you are planning to juice your apples or make cider, you might decide to opt for a short harvest period so that all the apples are ready to be harvested at the same time. Some apples store well; others do not – so try to get a mix, as there is nothing worse than having a number of trees that produce great-tasting fruit, none of which will keep!
Another consideration is biennial cropping. This term refers to the habit of some cultivars to produce a bumper crop every other year, but not much in between. This is common in many of the cider apple varieties.
Most apple and pear varieties produce fruit on spurs (side shoots) rather than on the tips of their branches. This is particularly relevant if you are intending to train your fruit trees (see page 103), as you will need to avoid the few that are tip-bearing varieties.
It is also important to think about pollination: fruit trees need to be pollinated, by bees and other insects, and most are self-sterile, which means that their flowers cannot be pollinated by the same tree or by another tree of the same variety. Instead, they need to be cross-pollinated by another variety of the same fruit, so you need to make sure that a suitable pollination partner is growing nearby. Cultivars are grouped according to when they come into flower during spring: Group 1 being very early, while Group 7 is very late in spring. Each group flowers for about 2 weeks, overlapping briefly with the group in front and behind. For example, a flowering Group 2 cultivar will probably come into flower in mid season, so could be pollinated by trees in Groups 1, 2 and 3.
Some cultivars are triploid, which means that their pollen is sterile, so they cannot be used to pollinate other trees, but they themselves require pollination to set fruit. Well-known triploids include some of the Bramley apples and the Blenheim Orange, Ribston Pippin and Tom Putt. Often you need two pollinating cultivars alongside the triploid – to pollinate the triploid, and to pollinate each other. But all is not lost if you only have a few trees, as pollen is carried some distance by insects, so in an area where there are lots of fruit trees cross-pollination can generally be achieved.
Think carefully about the position of your orchard within the holding. Fruit trees don’t like shade, preferring full sun, although some can tolerate partial shade, and they grow best on a free-draining soil with compost to boost the nutrient content and water-holding capacity. Avoid ground that dries out quickly in summer, floods in winter or has standing water, and don’t forget that prevailing winds can inhibit growth considerably, so the sheltered side of a wall or hedge can be ideal – but be aware that frost pockets could occur in sheltered spots.
A fruit tree usually consists of two parts: the scion, which is the above-ground part, and the rootstock, which is the bit below ground. The two parts are grafted together (see page 102). If you look carefully, you will see this joint as a slight bulge in the trunk, which should lie a short distance above the ground. The scion is taken as a cutting from the desired cultivar (because most fruit trees are cross-pollinated, they do not grow true from seed), but the rootstock influences certain characteristics of the tree, such as how early in its life it fruits, its susceptibility to certain diseases (such as fireblight), and its tolerance of extreme cold – but especially its size.
| Fruit | Rootstock | Characteristics |
| Apple | M25 MM111 MM106 M26 M9 M27 |
Suitable for standard; very vigorous, reaching 6-10m (20-33'). Vigorous. As for M25 but better suited to half standards. No staking required. Ideal for cordon and half standard, staking required on exposed sites. Semi-dwarf, to 3m (10'). Dwarf, very productive but poor anchorage so needs permanent staking for support. Ideal for cordons. Very dwarf, final height just 1.5m (5'); ideal for pots and stepovers. |
| Pear | Quince A Quince C |
Suitable for half standard; up to 4.5m (14'6") Suitable for cordon; produces the smallest pear trees. Height after 5-10 years is up to 4m (13'). |
| Plum or gage | St Julien A Pixy Brompton |
Semi-vigorous, up to 4m (13'), for all plums, gages, peaches and apricots. Dwarf, to 3.5m (11'6"). Vigorous, to 6m (20'). |
| Cherry | F12/1 Golt Gisela 5 |
Vigorous, to 4m (13') or more. Semi-dwarf, productive, to 3.6m (11'10") Dwarf, to 3m (10'). |
Various rootstocks are available, and they produce trees ranging considerably in size. Fruit trees may be trained into a number of different forms, from full standard (the tallest) through half standard or bush to cordon or espalier (see page 106), so in addition to choosing the right cultivar you need to pick a suitable rootstock for the sort of tree you have in mind. Dwarfing or semi-dwarfing rootstocks are also available, which produce the smallest trees.
In this orchard there is a mix of fruit tree forms: a standard in the background, a half standard in the mid foreground, while at the front are semi-dwarf trees, reaching up to 3m (10').
Most fruit trees are purchased as one- or two-year-old bare-rooted trees, ready to plant straight into the ground in winter. Bare-root is the most economical way to buy trees, and it usually has a greater rate of success, as the plants get away quickly in spring. You can buy larger, container-grown trees, but these are more expensive and can be harder to establish, as they are more prone to drought in the first years. This is because they tend to be substantial plants with a large shoot area so have a great demand for water in summer, which may not be met by the relatively small rootball.
Planting of bare-rooted stock takes place in late autumn and winter, when the trees are dormant, whereas container plants can be planted at any time. Dig a large hole and place the soil in a wheelbarrow so you can mix in some good compost. For a bare-root tree, knock in your stake just off-centre and on the side of the prevailing wind. Place the tree in the centre of the hole, checking that it will be at the same planting height as it was before it was uprooted (look for the old soil mark on its trunk). Also, make sure that the graft attachment point is above the ground. Then shovel back the soil-and-compost mix, firming with your boots but not so much as to damage the roots. Strap the tree to the stake. Some smaller trees on MM111 rootstocks may not need staking. For a container-grown tree, follow the same approach but knock in the stake at a 45-degree angle just outside the edge of the potted soil, so as not to damage the roots.
Make sure the tree is well watered during the first summer – give it a good soaking once a week – and keep the area around it clear of weeds by mulching. Don’t let the trees fruit for a few years, so remove any blossom in spring.
Whether you buy bare-rooted or container-grown trees, it is also beneficial to use a mycorrhizal fungal powder or gel to help it establish. Mycorrhizae are symbiotic associations between certain specialist fungi and the roots of plants: the fungus colonizes the plant roots and forms what can be considered as a second root system, extending the plant’s own root network and enabling it to take up nutrients from a much greater area of soil. In return, the plant provides the fungus with sugars. Mycorrhizal fungi are found in soils naturally, but in poor soils there may be fewer present, so adding a mix of mycorrhizal fungal spores to the planting hole ensures a good start. The young plants grow a denser root system that leads to strong growth and less susceptibility to drought.
Fruit trees are not cheap to buy, even young ones. If you are planning on planting a number of fruit trees or you intend to propagate material from a heritage orchard, you may want to consider grafting your own. Grafting involves attaching a scion (a cutting) from a donor tree to a rootstock, so that the two parts join together to form one plant. The rootstocks that you use for grafting are much cheaper to buy than young trees, although it does take a bit of practice to perfect the technique, so expect a few failures.
There are several different ways to graft, but the basic method is the same: the scion is lined up with the rootstock and the join sealed. It’s important to use a sharp knife to get a clean edge and to try to line up the cambium (the actively dividing tissue in the stem of the plant) in the scion and the rootstock. Once they are in close contact and held tight, the cut surfaces form a join. It is important that the cutting is dormant, but the rootstock can be either active or dormant. ‘Splice’, ‘whip-and-tongue’ and ‘saddle’ are all types of graft where the cutting and rootstock are of the same diameter. When the rootstock is larger in diameter than the cutting, a ‘side’, ‘cleft’ or ‘wedge’ graft is used. The diagram here illustrates a whip-and-tongue graft.
Regular pruning is essential. If you leave it several years, you end up with a big job that takes hours and also necessitates a hard prune, which will set back the tree. If you do a small amount each year, the impact on the yield will be minimal. The aim of pruning is to develop an open shape with good air circulation, which reduces the risk of disease and lets more light in to get a good crop yield. The subject of how to prune is covered in many books, but if you are not confident, go on a course or ask someone with experience to come in and demonstrate how to do it.
Most pruning takes place in winter, although you may need to do summer pruning on vigorous trees and on stone fruits (apricots, peaches, plums) to lessen the risk of spreading the fungal disease silver leaf. You will need sharp secateurs and loppers or a pruning saw. First, remove any dead, diseased or dying branches. Shorten recent growth on each main branch by about a third, to stimulate the formation of new branches and spurs. Don’t touch the new side shoots, as these will develop new fruit buds (assuming the tree is spur-bearing – see page 98), unless they are crowding out other shoots or crossing or growing towards the centre of the tree.
Fruit trees can be trained to grow into a certain shape, such as a fan. The main reason to train a fruit tree is to take best advantage of the available space, for example against a sunny wall. It is also thought to improve the fruit, leading to fewer but larger and better-tasting fruit, as the trees put all their energy into fruiting rather than into producing more leaves.
Among the most popular trained forms are cordons, fans and espaliers, which are ideally suited to growing against a wall or to creating a vertical barrier on the plot, using a trellis or similar support system. With these forms of training, the trees get more light and better airflow, which helps the fruit to ripen and reduces the incidence of disease such as mildews. Growing fruit trees against a wall also allows you to take advantage of the microclimate and to grow varieties that need more warmth, such as apricots and peaches, while a trained tree is also easier to protect from frost and birds.
When space is in short supply, a cordon-trained tree can enable you to produce a relatively sizeable harvest. A cordon is a tree that has a single stem with lots of short, stubby side shoots which bear fruit. This form is suitable for spur-bearing apples and pears, since these fruit on short side shoots, and the yield can reach as much as 10kg (22lb) per cordon. Tip-bearing varieties are no use, as the tips will be pruned, so you would never get any fruit. Cordons are very useful as internal dividers on the plot.
Typically, cordons are grown in a row, each tree planted at an angle of 45 degrees, but there are variations, such as the ‘U’, with two vertical branches, or even versions with three or four verticals per tree. It’s important not to use vigorous rootstocks, as they are difficult to control. If you grow a mix of cultivars, you shouldn’t have to worry about pollin ation, and can also get a useful combination of cooking and dessert fruit.
In this vegetable garden, fruit cordons have been trained to form a decorative arch.
A cordon is usually trained at an angle of about 45 degrees, with close planting of 70cm (28") between the plants in the row. Support is essential, so a cordon is planted against a wall or fence or supported with posts about 3m (10') apart, with a framework of three or four horizontal wires about 50-60cm (20-24") apart.
When planting, ensure not only that the grafting join is above the ground but also that the wood above the graft is uppermost and that the line of the join points towards the ground, to reduce the risk of the trunk breaking. Tie long bamboo canes to the wires at a 45-degree angle to support the young trees.
Suitable rootstocks for cordons are M27, M9 and M26, depending on the soil type, and Quince C. On poorer soils it can be better to choose slightly more vigorous rootstocks. If you have multiple rows of cordons, leave a space of around 60-70cm (24-28") between rows. Once planted, cut back any long side shoots to three buds and leave the leader (main) shoot unpruned. Cordons should be pruned in late summer by cutting back any new shoots that exceed 20cm (8") or three leaves above the basal cluster of leaves (the cluster around the base of the current year’s growth). Leave any shorter new shoots. New shoots on existing side shoots are pruned to one leaf above the basal cluster, and any upright growth is removed. Allow the cordons to reach an eventual length of 2m (6'6") but no more, so harvesting is easy.
These differ from cordons in that the trees have a number of branches. In the case of an espalier, the branches extend out sideways from the main stem, while in a fan the branches radiate out. The best apple rootstock is MM106, or M111 on poorer soils, and for pears Quince A. Use St Julien A for plums, apricots and peaches. Support is essential for fans and espaliers, so they need a framework of horizontal wires spaced at 40cm (16"). Allow 4-6m (13-20') between plants.
Any fruit tree can be trained into a fan. A one-year-old grafted tree (known as a maiden) is cut to 60cm (24") in autumn, and the following spring four to six buds are allowed to grow as branches. These are trained by attaching them to the wire framework to create radiating arms.
Espaliers are also produced from maiden trees. The tree is cut back to a bud that lies about 15cm (6") above the lowest wire. This bud is allowed to become the vertical branch, and the shoots from the next two buds below are trained, one to each side, to create the first tier of branches. This is achieved slowly, by gradually tying the shoots down so that they are eventually lying horizontal and are tied to the wire (but not too tightly). This process is repeated in subsequent winters, so that several tiers of shoots are produced.
A stepover is simply an espalier with just one tier, and the main leader tip removed. Like cordons, they are useful for growing around large vegetable beds and dividing up areas of the plot.
It is important to prune these trained trees regularly to maintain their shape. In late summer, fans and espaliers should be pruned by cutting back new side shoots to three leaves from the basal cluster, while shoots on existing side shoots can be cut to one leaf above the basal cluster. Any suckers from below the graft should be removed.
Soft fruit is expensive to buy, so it is an obvious choice for the small plot. With careful planning you can harvest soft fruit for 8 months of the year, starting with early strawberries under cover in early spring and ending with autumn raspberries, which can be harvested until the last frosts. For the remaining months you could rely on soft fruit in the freezer.
Soft fruit tends to be grown in blocks of space, simply because the juicy fruit needs protection from birds and the easiest way to achieve that is to build a fruit cage. You can grow them in rows where space allows, and cover them with netting, but expect some losses.
Commercial fruit cages have a tubular frame with polypropylene mesh over the sides and roof. Most of the modular systems that are available are based on 2m (6'6") lengths. However, a fruit cage is relatively easy to construct should you wish to save money and build your own. Also, you only need a tall walk-in one if you are growing raspberries; a lower one would suffice for currant bushes and strawberries, although it’s not so easy to manage.
The netting on a fruit cage can be damaged in winter if there are high winds or heavy snow, so often it is taken down in autumn.
Ideally, a fruit cage should be positioned on a level site in full sun or in sun and partial shade, and avoiding a site that might catch any late frosts. A space as small as 4m x 4m (13' x 13') is enough to accommodate a number of bush plants such as blackcurrant, redcurrant and whitecurrant bushes, jostaberries, gooseberries and several rows of raspberries and blackberries, as well as strawberries and rhubarb. Don’t forget to leave space to move around between the rows of plants once they are mature! The cage pictured above is 7m x 5m (23' x 16').
Soft fruit are permanent crops, so it pays to clear the weeds thoroughly and prepare the soil well. The soil needs to be free draining with good fertility. Either dig over the site to remove any compaction and perennial weeds and mix compost into it, or, if you are using the no-dig method, cut any vegetation close to the ground, ease out any large perennial weeds and cover with cardboard and a thick layer of compost. You can plant directly into this.
To reduce the growth of future weeds you could cover the ground with bark chippings, but be aware that they take up nitrogen from the soil as they rot down (see Chapter 3, page 50). I prefer to cover my no-dig plots with ground-cover fabric to suppress any weeds, as well as to conserve water. If you don’t use a ground cover, take care not to hoe too close to the bushes, as soft fruit bushes have relatively shallow roots that can be damaged easily.
Don’t forget to maximize the use of the ground in the fruit cage. If you have grassy areas between the rows of plants, you could use the space for birds. Chickens are the obvious candidates, but it’s not wise to have them in the cage from the time the fruit buds are forming until leaf drop. But the winter months, when the plants are dormant, are perfect, as the chickens cannot do any damage and will clear the ground of insects and other pests. They are particularly good at clearing away overwintering sawfly pupae, which devastate gooseberry plants. The chickens will scratch, unless you have feathered legged breeds such as Brahmas, but this could help to keep the beds weed-free. Watch out for them creating deeper dust-bath areas, which would damage the shallow roots of the fruit bushes.
Ducks tend not to damage the fruit and don’t scratch, so could be housed in the fruit cage for much of the year, depending on the size of the cage and the number of birds. Ducks will tackle pests too, especially snails and slugs and their eggs, and they could be introduced into the fruit cage when the sawfly larvae are active, in late spring through to mid summer.
Smaller areas can be used for quail, which could be kept in a house and run within the fruit cage, giving double protection from the fox. Be careful, however, if you plan to let quail run free-range in the cage, as they have a habit of flying up when scared and bashing into the netting.
Fruit-cage netting is not fox- or badger-proof, so remember to put an electric line around the bottom if the cage is accessible to predators. See Chapter 7 for more about chickens, ducks and quail.
The table following lists some of the soft fruit that you might consider growing on your plot. Choose thornless varieties where available, for easy harvesting and maintenance.
Don’t forget that fruit such as currants and gooseberries can be grown as cordons and fans too (see pages 104-6), using supporting wires and posts or trained against a wall to take up minimal space. Choose varieties that have a vigorous and upright growth habit. Gooseberry cordons should be planted about 35cm (14") apart, while currant cordons need a bit more space, at 40cm (16"). The rooted cuttings are planted at a 45-degree angle and the leading shoot is trained to a supporting bamboo cane which is secured to the wires. Remove any side shoots less than 15cm (6") from the ground. The following year, prune the shoots twice: first in mid summer, when all the side shoots should be cut to five leaves, and again in winter, when the side shoots are taken back to two buds. Prune the growing tip by one-third. Allow the cordon to reach about 1.8m (6') in length, although longer lengths are possible on a wall where more support is available.
In this orchard, a cordon of gooseberries has been planted between two rows of fruit trees to maximize use of the land.
If you don’t have room for a soft-fruit bed or cage, then a fruiting hedge made up of blackcurrants, gooseberries, redcurrants and whitecurrants is a good alternative. Plant at about two plants per metre (3'), and either allow them to grow into bushes and prune to about 1m (3') in height, or train them as cordons, using stakes and wire to support the shoots. Unsightly trellises or chain-link fencing can be disguised with climbing blackberry, tayberry and loganberry plants.
It’s easy to propagate soft fruit and produce a large number of plants for the plot very cheaply.
Currants, gooseberries and jostaberries are best propagated from hardwood cuttings taken in winter, when the plants are dormant. Cut off a healthy stem at the base that is at least 30cm (12") long and as thick as a pencil with about six buds along its length. Remove the soft growth at the tip. Then trim it to about 25cm (10"), cutting below a bud at the base and just above a bud at the top. Make a deep slot in your nursery bed, pour some sharp sand into the base of the slot, and insert the cuttings so that half of their length is in the ground, leaving 20cm (8") between cuttings. Firm the soil with your feet and leave the cuttings in place until the following autumn, when they can be transplanted to their final place. If you don’t have a nursery bed, you could use a large container.
Blackberries can be propagated by stem cuttings too. After harvesting the fruit, simply take a leafy length of cane of about 15cm (6") and insert it into the nursery bed to a depth of about 8cm (3"). Water well and keep moist. They should produce roots within a month. Leave them in place and wait until the following autumn before transplanting.
On a small plot it is essential to make use of all of the available space, and that includes the boundaries. You may have a site with an existing hedge boundary, or a wall or fence that could be used for food production. If not, new hedges can easily be established around the boundaries and within the holding to subdivide spaces.
Hedges will not only look attractive all year round but also provide a supply of produce – fruit, nuts, hips, edible flowers, leaves and spices. They are excellent habitats for wildlife, attracting birds and many beneficial insects. An edible hedge can be a large, full-sized boundary structure or just a single line of shrubs of the same species.
A mixed hedge will provide a variety of fruit and nuts, but is more difficult to prune, as each species has its own requirements. Also, the selection of species would need to be considered carefully, as the inclusion of faster-growing, more aggressive species, such as elder and blackthorn, can suppress the growth of slower-growing species, such as hazel. The management of a single-species hedge is more straightforward and may therefore be preferable. Species that would suit management as a hedge include pears, wild pear, elder and cherry plum.
Edible hedges are most productive if allowed to grow to their natural height, which may be over 4m (13') tall – so if you want a hedge that is barely a metre (3') or so in height then you would be better to opt for bush species rather than trees, for example a bush cherry rather than a tree, as a tree will not flourish if pruned hard every year.
Try a vegetable hedge
Barriers can also be created within the plot using larger vegetable species. For example, a row of asparagus, globe artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes, sweetcorn or even sunflowers will create a barrier within a few months.
A traditional selection of species for an edible hedge in northern Europe includes hazel, blackthorn, hawthorn, crab apple, dog rose and blackberry, but there are other options too (see table). These plants will grow quite quickly and provide a good yield of fruit and nuts for making hedgerow preserves and other products. They will also create a stock-friendly barrier for livestock around the plot. Don’t keep the hedge looking neat and tidy, as it needs to be able to grow to produce a decent harvest.
If you have an existing blackthorn or hawthorn hedge along the edge of your plot, you can convert it to a more varied edible hedge by thinning it and planting edible shrubs and trees in the gaps and alongside it. If the existing hedge is a single row of plants, you can widen it to two or three staggered rows to boost productivity.
Hedge planting is usually done during winter, when the plants are dormant. Saplings can be purchased from hedging specialists, which sell bare-rooted stock ready for immediate planting.
Make sure you have prepared the ground before the plants arrive. Remove as much vegetation as possible along the planned line of the hedge, ensuring that perennial weeds are removed, and enrich the soil by covering it with a thick layer of compost or well-rotted manure. To save on labour, you can clear the ground by covering it with sheeting or matting several months before the date of planting. The saplings will be slit-planted, so make sure you can push your spade into the ground – if not, loosen the ground with a fork and remove any stones.
Keeping the weeds at bay will be critical to the successful establishment of the hedge, so you can either cover the ground with a 1m (3')-wide length of ground-cover fabric, and plant through this, or surround the saplings with a thick layer of mulch to suppress weeds. The recommended spacing is 40-50cm (16-20") – this is generous, as you want the plants to bear lots of fruit and nuts. If planted more closely together, they would create a tight, secure hedge, but the yield would be considerably lower. For a wider, more productive hedge, plant two staggered rows at 50cm (20") distance. If your soil quality is poor, you can boost the chances of the plants establishing well by using mycorrhizal fungi powder, which is easily applied by dipping the bare roots in the powder before planting (see page 103).
If you are using ground-cover fabric, first secure the edges by pushing them into the ground with a spade. To plant your sapling, make a slit in the membrane to the width of your spade. Then push in your spade and wiggle it to make a slit in the soil and insert your sapling, making sure that it is planted no more deeply than it was before it was uprooted (look for the old soil mark on its stem). Carefully remove the spade and firm the sapling into place with your boot. If you have rabbit problems, protect the saplings using a plastic spiral guard and bamboo cane. Once in place, trim back your saplings to about 30cm (12") so that the plants form lots of low branches, filling in the hedge.
The plants need to be pruned regularly, but don’t prune the whole hedge at once. Most hedgerow plants produce their fruit on new wood, so it’s better to prune one side of the hedge one year and the other side the next year, so you always have some branches fruiting. Keep an eye on the more vigorous ramblers, such as blackberries, as they will need to be cut back regularly to prevent them suppressing the growth of the other plants.
A newly planted edible hedgerow on our plot, which was prepared with a thick layer of mulch and covered with a membrane to keep down the weeds.
