Planning for the Year Ahead: Planting Fruit Trees and Growing Our Own

 


Planning for the Year Ahead: Planting Fruit Trees and Growing Our Own

There’s something quietly hopeful about planning the garden while the year is still stretching ahead of us. No harvest yet, no blossom on the trees — just plans, muddy boots, and the promise of what might be.

This year’s focus is very much on growing more food at home, starting with fruit that will (with a bit of patience) keep producing year after year.

Fruit Trees: Thinking Long Term

We’re adding a small selection of fruit trees — plums, cherries, apples and pears. They won’t all reward us immediately, but that’s rather the point. A fruit tree is a long-term investment:

  • shade in summer

  • blossom for pollinators

  • and fruit for years to come

Choosing varieties suited to the UK climate (and limited space) matters more than ever as weather patterns become less predictable.

🍓 Soft Fruit: Quicker Wins

Alongside the trees, we’re boosting the soft fruit:

  • more strawberries for quick, low-effort crops - theyt were great last year so this yesr we have dobbled the number of plants

  • new raspberry canes, which are astonishingly generous once established

  • and a gooseberry bush, slightly old-fashioned, but tough, reliable, and brilliant for crumbles. I haven't been able to find gooseberries and now I will have my own.

These are the plants that remind you why growing your own is worth it — minimal food miles, zero plastic, and fruit that actually tastes of something.

🌱 Why It Matters

Growing even a small amount of food at home won’t fix the global food system — but it does:

  • reduce reliance on long supply chains

  • support pollinators and soil health

  • reconnect us with seasons rather than supermarket shelves

And perhaps most importantly, it shifts the mindset from “What can I buy?” to “What can I grow?”

This year isn’t about perfection or self-sufficiency. It’s about doing a little more than last year — and enjoying the process.

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