Timing of fruit bush planting.

[StringfellowParticipant]

Hi Charles. A friend has purchased some fruit bushes for his allotment and wonders when best to plant them out; now or in autumn. I thought autumn made sense as it will be the plant’s period of dormancy so it will handle the transplanting more easily – is this correct? Any other reasons for one choice over the other?

I wondered how the new experiments in compost making had turned out and what you learnt from them? I made some good stuff following your guidelines and my heap has a courgette plant growing on top of it, then I’ll spread the compost in autumn. Good fun! Thank you.

[KarenParticipant]

Hey Stringfellow,

If the fruit bush is a potted plant, it can be planted at any time, but if bareroot, best done in autumn and water them good. In saying that, am guessing that it is highly unlikely bareroot as nurseries usually have them available only for autumn planting. Except for strawbs that I know a company in Germany has it all year round. And I bought some previously and I just had to water them like crazy to get them established.

We had 2 bareroot chestnut plants bought 3 years ago and they were planted in Nov and we just watered them thoroughly.

ps: my apologies, didn’t mean to hijack the question as it was directed at Charles.

[KarenParticipant]

oh…except in winter months (regarding strawb bareroot plants)

[charlesModerator]

Thanks for answering Karen.
Autumn best for sure, water a lot if planted now.
re compost, I shall cover it in autumn updates. Main difference is reducing moisture by adding less grass mowings, more straw and also we have been shredding a lot of elder stems, so the brown content is higher, This spring’s heaps look nice already.
Well done on yours, and free courgettes.

[StringfellowParticipant]

Thanks Karen, should have mentioned that they are in pots before I headed away for the weekend.

What I was interested in is the reason why they are best planted in the autumn?

Will look forward to the autumn updates re. Compost. I guess the elder stems are being blitzed by the new shredder!

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