Apples
Apples are one of the most popular fruits in the world and you too can grow a crop of crunchy, juicy fruit in your own backyard!
Is there a prettier fruit than the ruby red jewels (well, technically arils) of pomegranate (Punica granatum) We know, they can be fiddly to eat, but they’re just so full of flavour and impart a wonderful pop of colour to platters and salads! Plus, they’re known to contain high levels of antioxidants, so you know they’re good for you, too. They’re easy to grow at home, but you’ll have to wait a couple of years before you can harvest. But in the mean, enjoy the glossy green leaves and gorgeous red-orange blooms.
How to grow pomegranates in a garden
- Choose a sunny spot with well drained soil. Enrich the soil with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser.
- Dig the planting hole twice as wide and to the same depth as the root-ball.
- If planting in winter, soak bare-rooted plants in a bucket of water for 30 minutes prior to planting. Remove from bucket, position in hole and backfill with soil, gently firming down. If planting a potted plant, remove the shrub from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots, then position in hole and backfill.
- Mulch around the base with organic mulch like bark chips, sugarcane or pea straw, keeping it away from the trunk.
- Water deeply, once every 2-3 days, depending on weather conditions. Once established, water deeply once every week.
- Feed with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser every 6-8weeks. When flowering and fruiting, feed fortnightly with Yates Thrive Citrus Liquid Plant Food.
How to grow pomegranates in a pot
Pomegranates are perfect pot specimens, particularly dwarf forms like ‘Nana’, which only grow to 1m.
- Choose a pot at least 400mm wide and as deep as possible. Position in full sun and protect from strong winds. Fill pot with quality potting mix, like Yates Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter.
- Remove the shrub from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any circled or tangled roots.
- Position in pot, backfill with soil, gently firm down and water in well.
- Feed with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser every 6-8weeks. When flowering and fruiting, feed weekly with Yates Thrive Citrus Liquid Plant Food.
Growing tips
- Pomegranates are perfect pot specimens, particularly dwarf forms like ‘Nana’, which only grow to 1m.
- Prune suckers (growth appearing from the soil or below the knobbly graft union on the trunk) regularly. They do not produce fruit and take energy away from the tree.
- Lightly prune after fruiting to help maintain shape and to remove any dead/diseased growth.
- Harvesting is usually from March-May, when the skin turns orange-brown. This can differ between varieties, so make sure you check the label.
- Purchase and plant bare-rooted plants from late autumn to spring.
- Potted plants can be bought during the warmer months of the year for planting.
Almonds
Looking for a nut to grow? Go for almonds! Full of goodness, great taste, high in good fats & have the highest fibre content of all the nuts.
Avocado
Smashed, smeared or spooned straight from the fruit, avocados have a place in everyone's breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner.
Blackberry
Blackberries (Rubus canadensis) are amazing to eat fresh from the bush or made into jams or pies.
Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser
Create organic nutrient rich soil with Yates Dynamic Lifter for better root growth, stronger plants and more flowers and fruit.
Yates Thrive Citrus & Fruit Liquid Plant Food
Yates Thrive Citrus & Fruit Liquid Plant Food is a complete, liquid plant food that provides balanced nutrients for healthy growth.
Yates Thrive Natural Citrus & Fruit Concentrate
A complete plant food specially developed for boosting healthy growth and yield of juicy fruit in citrus and other fruiting plants
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