Soft fruit
Soft fruits may better be more appropriately described as"berries"
November is an ideal time to take cutting from soft fruit bushes ie Blackcurrants and Gooseberries snd the lke.
This is a very simple process. Select a new growth about 15Cm-6 inch cut an angle to give more surface area.
prepare a 15Cm-6 Inch diameter pot with a mix of perlite and ptting compost in equal measure to enure good drainage. remove any leaes off the the lower pat of the cutting dip this in rooting powder hormone, USING A PENCIL make hole in the compst and being careful not to dislodge the rooting hormone insert the cutting -cuttings around the edge of the pot , 5 or 6 to a pot, keep these MOIST a sheltered spot preferably a greenhouse for a few months. when the roots begin to show below the pot then pot them on and in a few years you will have more frut bushes.
this section is a work in progress and may only be in place fully for next season (2021)
STRAWBERRIES
higihly recommended variety "Royal Sovereign " from DT Brown grower/nursery
4 standard sized fruits provide 98% of the recommended daily adult intake and are way higher in Vitamin C than Oranges ?
Strawberry runners are a good way to get more of what you like for FREE
pot these little plantlets into separate pots DO NOT cut the umilical until the new plant is firmly established this may be a few months down the line, so dont take too many runners in a season otherwise you may end up with a tangled mess of umbilicals?
RASPBERRIES
This section is under revision
How to Tell a Floricane from a Primocane
Determine the difference between "Primocane" and "Floricane"
The primary purpose of this knowledge will indicate a more productive way of pruning Raspberries and Blackberries
Distinguishing between primocanes and floricanes isn’t always easy, as it very much depends on the variety and degree of growth
Primocanes are thicker, fleshy, and green, while the second-year growthFloricanes turn woody and brown before dying back. Other primocane and floricane differences include when fruit appear on them. Floricanes should have a lot of still-green berries in spring, while primocanes will have no fruit. The floricanes have shorter internodes, the spaces between leaves on the cane.
Floricanes will have three leaflets per compound leaf, while the primocanes have five leaflets and longer internodes. Easily distinguishing between primocanes and floricanes takes a little practice, but once learned you will remember, this simple nugget of knowledge making you one of relatively few to recognise the differential between the two cultivars and it’s consequent relevance!
BLUEBERRIES
GOOSBERRIES
RED GOOSEBERRY
I have found this variety best when picked fresh on a nice warm summer days, topped and tailed and eaten straight after picking.
They are infinitely BETTER uncooked without any Added sweeteners- counter intuitively . The addition of these procedures ADD significantly to a sourness that make them quite unpalatable.
These also freeze extremely well as a raw product to eat from frozen or to create UNSWEETENED smoothies.
I also use a blender to create a smoothie mixture which I then pour into an ice tray and freeze. Add these to other fruit or cereal/porridge
BLACKBERRIES
My highly recommended favourite has to be "OREGON" it is a large fruit of good flavour and prolific fruit
TAYBERRIES
A cross between blackberry and raspberry-Raspberry being the dominant gene BUT should only be harvested when a dark red almost blackberry colour. Fruits in June-July period
LOGANBERRY
Cross between Raspberry and Blackberry with Blackberry the dominant gene
BOTH Loganberry and Tayberry are more suitable for use in "Preserves" try one off the branch and you'll see why
HONEYBERRY AND OTHER NEW VARIETIES again more suited to 'Preseves