Plant your Autumn Fruit Tree Orchard with British Garden Centres

Planting a fruit tree orchard on your patio or in your garden can be a rewarding and delicious endeavour for gardeners of all levels.

It provides a beautiful addition to your outdoor space while offering a sustainable source of fresh, homegrown fruit. With autumn being nature’s time to plant, British Garden Centres has put together some advice on planning and planting your fruit trees, ensuring a successful and tasty harvest.

Choosing the Right Fruit Trees

First, evaluate the available space where you want to plant your fruit tree. Will you be planting a patio container or in a border in your garden? We recommend visiting your local British Garden Centres store and choosing dwarf or semi-dwarf varieties are perfect for smaller areas.

Most fruit trees need at least six hours of direct sunlight per day, so ensure your patio or the position in the garden is in sunshine. Soil quality is another factor to check. Well-draining soil is ideal for most fruit trees. Finally, be mindful of pollination. Some fruit trees require cross-pollination from another compatible variety. If you’re planting a single tree, opt for a self-pollinating variety.

Fruit trees

For smaller patios, dwarf fruit trees are excellent options. Dwarf apples offer a delicious variety of flavours in a compact size. Look for popular varieties like Cox self-fertile, Discovery, Jonagold, Braeburn and Bramley’s Seedling.

Similarly, dwarf Conference pears trees are small but produce sweet, juicy fruit. If you love cherries, dwarf cherry trees are a great choice especially Stella, producing abundant fruit for fresh eating or preserving. For a taste of fresh plums, we have a selection of trees that offer a range of varieties, from sweet to tart, to suit your taste, with Victoria and Opal proving to be favourites.

Figs are sweet and nutritious, with a unique flavour that’s perfect for eating fresh, drying, or preserving. Plant yours this autumn with our selection that includes Ficus carica ‘Brown Turkey’ or ‘Little Miss Figgy.’  

Planting your fruit tree

Before planting your fruit trees, prepare your flower bed by removing any weeds, stones, or debris that may interfere with planting. Improve the soil quality by adding compost or well-rotted manure to provide essential nutrients and improve drainage.

Dig planting holes that are twice as wide and deep as the root ball of the fruit trees. Mix a balanced feed into the bottom of each planting hole.

When planting your fruit trees, carefully remove them from their containers and gently loosen the roots if they are tightly bound. Inspect the roots for any damage and prune any damaged or circling roots.

Position the tree in the planting hole, ensuring the graft is above the soil level. Gradually fill in the hole with the soil, ensuring the roots are spread out evenly. Gently firm the soil around the base of the tree and water the newly planted trees deeply to settle the soil.

To plant a fruit tree in a container, choose a dwarf or semi-dwarf variety. Use a large, well-draining container with a drainage layer and a high-quality potting mix. Carefully remove the tree from its nursery pot, loosen any tightly bound roots, and place it in the centre of the container. Fill in the gaps with potting mix and water thoroughly.

Aftercare

Proper aftercare is crucial for the health and productivity of your fruit trees the following season. Water them regularly, especially during dry spells, ensuring deep watering. Feed annually in early spring with a balanced fruit tree fertiliser. Prune to maintain shape, remove dead or diseased branches, and encourage fruit production. Monitor for pests and diseases, acting as needed.

Consider training trees to specific shapes like espaliers or cordons, plant pollinator-friendly plants nearby, mulch around the base to retain moisture and suppress weeds and protect trees from frost damage with fleece or burlap sacks in harsh winters.

British Garden Centres (BGC) is the UK’s largest family-owned garden centre group with 65 centres around the country. The group is owned and led by The Stubbs family, who also own and operate Woodthorpe Leisure Park in Lincolnshire.

BGC was launched in 1987 with the opening of Woodthorpe Garden Centre by brothers Charles and Robert Stubbs. Since 2018 it has expanded rapidly with the acquisition of 50 garden centres allowing it to grow from its heartland to the business it is now with 65 garden centres spread from Carmarthen to Ramsgate, Wimborne to East Durham.

The group has a team of 2,700 colleagues working across the garden centres, restaurants, growing nurseries, distribution centres, Woodthorpe Leisure Park, and Woody’s Restaurant & Bar.