Having a productive garden – it’s all the rage, bang on trend and everyone seems to want one.  The only thing is no-one seems to have the time to tend one and as much as they’re popular now, they can be time consuming and, for beginners, confusing. 

You could start small, think about what you like to eat, (take a look at what is in your fridge right now if you’re short on ideas) and rather than having to think about things like crop rotation if you’re growing vegetables you can grow some in containers instead - but if that’s not for you (and it’s not for everyone) – my advice is to think about fruit.  It is generally easier to grow, not as time consuming to look after and the rewards are truly wonderful (as our picture shows!).

There is a lot to be said about fruit, but designing a garden that is both practical and productive whether it is an urban or rural garden, contemporary or traditional it is possible to combine it with fruit.  I’m not suggesting that you have a specific fruit growing area but instead that you try and grow your fruit in and around the rest of your plants – incorporate them into the borders and the design. Imagine sitting on your deckchair looking out over the garden - the tall grasses and perennials are swaying gently in the breeze and amongst them your apple and pear trees are in full fruit, the medlars are looking good and the soft fruits are ready for the picking.

Sounds lovely doesn’t it?  Well, it is achievable; it’s is all about planning – choosing and positioning plants that look aesthetically right, through texture or height, contrasting with or complementing the leaf and fruit shapes of the chosen varieties you want to grow.  Choose accompanying plants that won’t grow too vigorously either – fruits generally like the light so you don’t want their neighbours blocking it out from them and reducing your crops!

Any fruit you grow would certainly reduce ‘fruit miles’ and encourage our native bees and other beneficial insects into your garden which is great for biodiversity.  It would also be a talking point for friends and family and above all, its fun to harvest and eat or store your fruit to eat over the winter.

So if you haven’t considered growing fruit before I hope this has convinced some of you to just have a go – it really is great to pick fresh strawberries off the plant!