Trained forms
Other forms of training
Where to start
Soft fruit

Most of us can recall those huge old apple trees dominating the bottom of the garden, where, once a year the owners face the ritual of balancing ladders against the lower branches or else wait for a storm to deliver the crop. Usually the fruit feeds birds, scrumpers and wasps.

This dismal picture is responsible for giving fruit growing an unnecessary reputation for being difficult, especially if you have restricted mobility. It need not be so. The mature size of the fruit tree depends not on the variety grown, but on the rootstock used. Any variety can be grafted or budded onto a dwarfing rootstock. This, along with methods of training the tree, puts the world of fruit growing within easy reach of most gardeners. In addition, fruit trees grown on dwarfing rootstocks can be suitable for even the smallest garden and can also be grown in containers on patios or balconies.

There is a range of rootstocks available to allow a wide choice of eventual tree size, form, and rates of growth. Apples, pears and stone fruit can all be grown in various restricted forms, trained against a boundary wall or fence, or as dividers, trained on wires or fencing between plots or alongside paths. The advantages of specially trained forms are many: easy access, ease of netting, spraying, pruning, thinning and picking.

Popular ways of training fruit trees include the 'cordon', 'espalier' and 'fan' systems, all of which offer advantages for gardeners working from a sitting position or with restricted mobility. The use of longhandled pruners and pickers with lightweight, adjustable handles brings the fruit on these forms well and truly within reach.

Trained forms

There are two main groups of apple and pear varieties: 'tip bearing', where fruit is mainly borne on the end of shoots, and 'spur bearing', where the fruit is carried on short spurs' close to the main stem or branch. When training fruit in a restricted way as described below tip bearers should be avoided.

Varieties which are tip bearers include 'Beauty of Bath', 'Laxtons Superb' and 'Worcester Pearmain'. Other fruit, plums, cherries, peaches etc aren't such a problem in this respect.

Until recently these stone fruits have been the province of the largest gardens - not only on account of their size but also because of the need to grow two or three varieties to ensure cross-pollination. Modern dwarfing rootstocks, as well as the introduction of improved varieties have changed all this. 'Stella' is an excellent self-fertile variety for fan trained cherries; 'Victoria' takes a lot of beating for plums and 'Peregrine' is a good first choice for a peach on a warm, south-facing wall.

Cordons (for apples, pears and plums)

This is the most common form of restricting the growth of fruit trees. Trees are planted about 1m (3ft) apart and are trained at an angle of 45% onto supporting wires, fence or wall.

The tree is grown as a single stem by cutting back all side shoots to encourage fruiting buds. The height to which the tree is grown depends on your reach, although cordons are rarely grown above 2 m (6 ft). Vertical cordons are a less usual form in which the tree is trained vertically, rather than at an angle. Prune cordons by cutting back all side shoots in late summer: disregard the small tuft of leaves at base of side shoot, count three leaves along and cut close to the third leaf - never through it. If secondary growth springs from these cuts, prune these back in the autumn to one leaf from their basal tuft.

Espaliers (for apples and pears)

This is a larger version of the cordon, where the main stem is grown vertically, and side shoots are trained horizontally in tiers. Trees are planted 4-5 m (about 12-15 ft) apart. Side branches are trained in opposite pairs, spaced at approximately 35 cm (15 in) intervals, and the number of tiers grown will depend on your reach. Prune all shoots from side branches in the same way as described for cutting side-shoots from cordons.

Fans

This method is best for the stone fruit - peaches, plums, cherries, nectarines, etc. In effect, it is a development of the espalier method. However, instead of growing the branches horizontally, branches are trained - over a number of years - into a flat 'fan' shape. To describe how this is done is rather like trying to describe in a few lines, how to knit a jumper! It is far easier to go to the pattern - in this case the description given in fruit growing books, such as 'The Fruit Garden Displayed' published by the Royal Horticultural Society. Rest assured fan training is not as difficult as it sounds!

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There are some other forms in which fruit trees can be grown which do not offer the same benefits as the above methods if you have restricted mobility, but still remain much more accessible than conventional tree forms. They include dwarf bush, spindle bush (or continental spindle) and dwarf pyramid. A useful way of training plums, which often produce a lot of long whippy shoots in their first year, is by hooping. This method involves bending the shoots right down and tying them to the main stem about 30 cm (1 ft) from the ground.

All of these restricted forms can be trained by any patient gardener from maiden trees (a single stem comprising one season's growth). These maidens transplant better than the older trees, though older (and more expensive) nursery trained trees can be chosen for quicker results. Leaf-fall is a good time to plant. As a rough guide cordons need about 1 m (3 ft) between trees with 2-3 m (7-10 ft) between rows; fans and espaliers 4-5 m (12-15 ft) between trees with 2.5-3 m (8-10 ft) between rows.

Whichever system you use it is essential to provide a supporting framework of pressure-treated wooden posts 3.5 m (12 ft) apart, 2 m (7 ft) above ground and 45 cm (18 in) set in concrete. For cordons, galvanised wires should span the posts 75 cm (2.5 ft) above ground level and then at 60 cm (2 ft) intervals to the required height. The wires (gauge 10 for the top one and gauge 12 for the others) should pass through holes drilled in the inner posts and be fixed to the end posts with straining bolts. Use bamboo canes to span the wires at the planting stations. For espaliers the wires correspond to the number of fruiting tiers planned and should be spaced about 35 cm (15 in) apart. Fans are trained on wires 20 cm (9 in) apart. If you are growing the trees against a fence or wall, firmly fix the wires along the wall by means of eye bolts. Be careful to consider access when planting trees - dry, non-slip surfaces are safest as well as needing little maintenance. If you use a wheelchair, try and design a 'through' route past your trees or else provide a turning space.

Full details on all methods of training and pruning fruit trees are readily available from any good book on fruit growing.

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The previously described cordon and espalier training systems can be well adapted for growing redcurrants, gooseberries and whitecurrants. Not only do they make the fruit easier to pick essential for gooseberries - but they also make it easier to protect the crops from birds. (If you enjoy soft fruit, a fruit cage is a good investment.)

Other soft fruit crops which give a good return for the space they occupy are blackcurrants and raspberries. The former enjoy an annual mulch to feed the surface roots. Prune out the old fruiting wood after harvesting. They are largely trouble free, but do choose the smaller varieties for ease of picking and make sure you buy virus-free stocks.

Raspberries flourish in rows at least 1 m ( 3 ft) apart and tied into supporting wires up to a height of 2 m (6 ft) (or height to suit your reach). A 10 cm (4 in) straw mulch helps to keep the weeds down and conserve moisture. This is important not only for the setting fruit but also for the gardener, as it reduces the need for watering.

Strawberries can also be grown in more accessible ways for gardeners with restricted mobility or who have trouble bending. Plant in raised beds, tubs or special strawberry pots positioned at a height to suit you. Agriframes produce a double decker table-top which holds two growbags above the ground with steel tubing. A bird net and hoops to support the net above the fruit are included. The suppliers claim that three successive crops of strawberries can be produced over a three year period before the plants and compost need to be replaced. The table-top strawberry planter is available from Ken Muir.

To sum up, go slowly in designing your fruit garden; remember your limitations - physical, time, experience - and choose plants to provide a succession of fruit, plants which are disease-resistant and fruit to suit the palate. Good access facilitates maintenance and picking and helps to keep the fruit within reach.

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