Spring 2009 in West Sussex

Ian Harrison’s Fruit Dairy shows spring is on its way. Northerly parts of the country will be behind and the south west in advance, but even so there will be microclimates everywhere that do not fit the predictable pattern.

I am being asked ‘Is it a late spring?’ Here near Brighton on the coastal strip of West Sussex, in spite of the number and severity of frosts during the winter months, in spite of the exceptional number of days overcast and the grey light, since spring 2008, I do not think spring is late.

On 24 March 2009, the first plums blossomed on my allotments: Denniston’s Superb, two trees grown as oblique and vertical cordons. These were followed a day later by Jubilee and Reine Claude Violette. I note on a neighbouring allotment Apricot, Early Moorpark is in full flower, having first opened two weeks earlier. This is grown as an open bush and enjoys protection from the south-westerly wind by a greenhouse. In an unheated greenhouse peach, Bellegarde, is also in full flower. In my own unheated greenhouse the sequence of blossom opening for peaches was as follows: Bellegarde, first flowers 8 March (over 50% open 10 March); Rochester, 10 March (over 50%, 14 March); Peregrine, 10 March (over 50% 16 March); Nectarine, Lord Napier, 10 March (over 50%, 12 March); Amsden June, 13 March (over 50% 18 March).

 Later in the day, when I visited West Dean Gardens, which is situated further inland in West Sussex, enjoying the protection of the Lavant Valley as well as brick walls, we found on a southerly facing wall in the Kitchen Garden Transparent and Golden Gage, Dennistons’s Superb and Jefferson plums were well into flowering. A pear, Joséphine de Malines was just breaking into flower and the first flowers were opening on cherries Vega and Early Rivers on a south facing wall. A plum on a north facing wall, probably Avalon, in the Frame Yard was breaking into flower and apricots on the reverse side of a wall facing south - with Early Moorcroft 50% open and Alfred beginning to blossom. On a south westerly facing wall plums,Coe’s Golden Drop, Transparent Gage, Merton Gem and Golden Danson were coming into flower - demonstrating what a difference a wall makes!

On 26 March, three weeks without rain, good quality sunlight, absence of south westerly winds and above average seasonal temperatures during the day, have shifted the trees, briar and soft fruits into gear. Damsons are breaking into flower on allotments. The first pear, Thompson’s now into flower, with Louise Bonne of Jersey and Chaumontel close behind and about to break. Apples that were dormant a week ago - Rosemary Russet, Cornish Gilliflower and Meridian are beginning to swell. In pears, Black Worcester, Beurré Hardy, Bergamot d’Esperen, and Joséphine de Malines the outer buds are opening to reveal clusters of flowers. Figs, Brown Turkey and White Marseilles grown out of doors are on the move showing colour through leaf bud. In my cold greenhouse, Fig, Gialloro is breaking into leaf and other varieties are close behind.

 Briars have all broken dormancy in the last two weeks, in the following order: Boysenberry in early March, then Loganberry, Tayberry and Japanese wine berry. Red currant, Jan Van Tets is showing fruit buds and leaves. All the gooseberries are in leaf with Martlett bearing fruit buds.

 Strawberry, Everest, received as plugs in the first week of March and potted up in 6” pots in the cold greenhouse is producing flowers and fruits by the end of March, but nipped-off to promote vegetative growth. The amateur must save this variety as they did Pink Fir Apple potato. Everest is a perpetual bearer that has scored consistently high ratings for flavour. It was bred by Vinsons and after successful years as a market fruit is now rejected by supermarkets, but Vinsons will supply amateurs with plants.

 For those fruit enthusiasts who have heard of Hatton Garden at Bradbourne House, East Malling Research, near Maidstone in Kent, but have not been able to visit and it is only open on one day in the year during spring blossom time, there is a chance to see it on DVD. The BBC recently re-issued Geoff Hamilton’s series, ‘Paradise’ and ‘Cottage Gardens’ this time on DVD, with as an extra the series ‘Ornamental Kitchen Garden’. Episode six of the latter series focuses on fruits. Geoff Hamilton spends a full ten minutes in the Hatton Garden looking at forms of training apples and pears including the palmette, step-over, espalier , acure, double U cordon, goblet, winged pyramid, le bateau, among other forms. The experience is made all the more useful by his guide throughout the visit, Brian Self. The DVDs are available as a box set from BBC shops and the usual catalogues.

 This winter-spring season is marked by the passing of Woolworth’s. How many allotments and gardens across the country are growing fruit trees, soft fruits, briars and ornamentals thanks to the bare-root plants supplied by Woolworth's from Cuthberts Nursery in Devon, in the years before the advent of garden centres. I planted my first Victoria plum on the same day as my allotment neighbour to mark our new found interest in growing fruit trees. Mine came from Cuthberts via Woolworth’s, his from a well known nursery. We compared trees. Mine was perhaps slightly thicker in the stem. We both waited eight years before they bore the first crop. Mine turned out to be Oullin’s Golden Gage while his was Denniston’s Superb. Both were mislabelled at the nursery. For the record I find Oullin’s only achieves gage-like quality one year in four, on average. I have acquired several Victoria’s since then, some of which are completely flavourless even in the best years. If you find a truly reliable flavoursome Victoria take grafts from it and spread the wood and the word.

 The amateur grower is not just at risk from mislabelling, or poor flavour in varieties. I have recently taken delivery of a bare-root peach which is truly resistant to peach leaf curl, it is claimed. There was no packing inside the box which resulted in damage to several branches, but the young tree is seven-feet tall, or rather it would be if the top twelve inches had not been crudely snapped over in order to fit into a box for postage which is only six feet tall!

Ian Harrison