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Kay · 13-08-2011, 12:02 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening

On 12/08/2011 23:18, in article
, "NT"
wrote:

I'm looking for plants for east & west facing walls in a sheltered
garden in the south east. Must produce food, must be perennials, low
maintenance required as they may get ignored at times, and the more
the yield the better. Available space per planting position is around
6-7' high, varying from 2-15' wide, 1.5 feet deep. Fruit would be
first choice, other options are a perhaps. There are walnuts in the
area, so they'll have to survive the possible walnut toxicity.

Any suggestions?

You could look at some of the raspberry-blackberry hybrid berries - things
like loganberries, tayberries, sunberries. They seem to be disease-free,
they crop heavily, and the fruit are good fresh or frozen. Once a year you
need to cut out all the canes that have fruited (which can be done any time
from just after fruiting through to the end of winter), and during the year
tie in new canes that are growing (for the sake of tidiness, not because
it's crucial to cropping, so again it doesn't matter if you ignore it). The
once a year pruning is easier if you tie in fruiting canes horizontally or
at an angle, and the new canes in a vertical bundle, to be separated and
tied in properly after you've cut out all the canes which have fruited.

Try underplanting stuff with alpine strawberries - tedious to pick, but
masses of flavour and largely unbothered by slugs - another really good low
maintenance fruit producer.