I am helping a local school turn a neglected garden into an 'allotment'

The garden runs E/W on its longest side with the northern boundary being
a granite wall about 2 metres in height. A wall of similar height
protects the garden from the prevailing westerlies. The soil is light and
in good heart. The garden slopes from west to east and slightly from
north to south. The location is Saint Brelades bay, Jersey
www.multimap.com/maps/?qs=saint+brelade&countryCode=GB
but we are far enough from the sea to be unlikely to be affected by
spray, except in a really strong easterly and a high tide. (Just below
and to the left of where it says B45 on the map).

I am proposing a one-metre border at the base of the wall for growing
tender fruit. My thoughts so far are peach, nectarine both fan-trained
against the wall. I have a run of about 20 metres of wall to play with.
and am open to suggestions for suitable candidates. One of the kids has
asked about pomegranates - would these be possible? How much run of wall
should I allow for each specimen?

tia
Derek.

In article ,
Derek Turner wrote:

I am helping a local school turn a neglected garden into an 'allotment'

One of the kids has
asked about pomegranates - would these be possible?

Yes and no. Given good drainage, pomegranates should grow without
trouble, but getting flowers needs a sunny spot and luck, and you
don't have much chance of fruit. Not even in Jersey. No summer,
by pomegranate standards.

You might succeed with Feijoa (Acca) sellowiana, though, and that
has interesting, atttractive, edible flowers. Its petals are
fleshy and slightly sweet.

Loquat should be easy.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

The message
from Derek Turner contains these words:

One of the kids has
asked about pomegranates - would these be possible? How much run of wall
should I allow for each specimen?

Pomegranates should fruit on CI, I'd think, but I'm not sure about
training them. There was someone living on the mainland bragging on,
IIRC, GQT or similar, about having a pomegranate in a tub which lived
inside in winter and outside in summer, and had samll but usable fruit.

Their growth is like a sort-of 'Afro'. Mine hasn't even flowered yet
(grown from a pip) but seems to be quite hardy (for variable values of
'quite').

Those I've kept inside here in Norfolk have kept their leaves, while
those outside have done the traditional autumn thing.

Personally, I'd find a sunny corner where it can lord-it in splendid
isolation. Pomegranates picked ripe are about as like shop-bought ones
as chalk is to cheese. *AND* they are full of antioxidants. If you can
somehow get - I mean force - the kids to eat the skins and pips, these
have enormous emounts of antoxidants in them, I learned recently.

They'd do better in a conservatory, though, and I understand, are not huge.

--
Rusty
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk
Separator in search of a sig

On 16/10/08 16:09, in article , "Derek
Turner" wrote:

I am helping a local school turn a neglected garden into an 'allotment'

The garden runs E/W on its longest side with the northern boundary being
a granite wall about 2 metres in height. A wall of similar height
protects the garden from the prevailing westerlies. The soil is light and
in good heart. The garden slopes from west to east and slightly from
north to south. The location is Saint Brelades bay, Jersey
www.multimap.com/maps/?qs=saint+brelade&countryCode=GB
but we are far enough from the sea to be unlikely to be affected by
spray, except in a really strong easterly and a high tide. (Just below
and to the left of where it says B45 on the map).

I am proposing a one-metre border at the base of the wall for growing
tender fruit. My thoughts so far are peach, nectarine both fan-trained
against the wall. I have a run of about 20 metres of wall to play with.
and am open to suggestions for suitable candidates. One of the kids has
asked about pomegranates - would these be possible? How much run of wall
should I allow for each specimen?

tia
Derek.

You'll get Pomegranates to flower with a good summer but fruit is unlikely.
My ex mother in law had Pomegranates in the walled part of her garden in
Grouville (slopes South) and while the flowers were delightful, there was
never any fruit on them. Had you thought of figs, btw?
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.com
South Devon
(new website online)

In message , Rusty Hinge
2 writes
Pomegranates picked ripe are about as like shop-bought ones
as chalk is to cheese. *AND* they are full of antioxidants. If you can
somehow get - I mean force - the kids to eat the skins and pips, these
have enormous emounts of antoxidants in them, I learned recently.


Our kids (7 and 3) love Pomegranates, and happily eat the pips. Not sure
I'd like to eat the skin though.

Can't say I go for them myself though
--
Chris French

Derek Turner wrote:
I am helping a local school turn a neglected garden into an 'allotment'

The garden runs E/W on its longest side with the northern boundary being
a granite wall about 2 metres in height. A wall of similar height
protects the garden from the prevailing westerlies. The soil is light and
in good heart. The garden slopes from west to east and slightly from
north to south. The location is Saint Brelades bay, Jersey
www.multimap.com/maps/?qs=saint+brelade&countryCode=GB
but we are far enough from the sea to be unlikely to be affected by
spray, except in a really strong easterly and a high tide. (Just below
and to the left of where it says B45 on the map).

I am proposing a one-metre border at the base of the wall for growing
tender fruit. My thoughts so far are peach, nectarine both fan-trained
against the wall. I have a run of about 20 metres of wall to play with.
and am open to suggestions for suitable candidates. One of the kids has
asked about pomegranates - would these be possible? How much run of wall
should I allow for each specimen?

tia
Derek.
Not exotic, but in south Hampshire I have a Victoria Plum on an Eacst
facing fenci. It crops biennialy (a feature believe of Victorias) and
is now abot 8 years old. On a good year it produces about 30lbs oops,
am I now going to prosecuted by the metric police?

Malcolm

Malcolm wrote:

On a good year it produces about 30lbs oops,
am I now going to prosecuted by the metric police?

Certainly not by we American Colonials!

(I'm half-transitioned: my bread baking is done metrically, but I'm still
using *pounds on my garlic spreadsheet).

*decimal; pounds/ounces was too big a nuisance.


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at home.earthlink.net/~garygarlic
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G

In article ,
Gary Woods wrote:
Malcolm wrote:

On a good year it produces about 30lbs oops,
am I now going to prosecuted by the metric police?

Certainly not by we American Colonials!

(I'm half-transitioned: my bread baking is done metrically, but I'm still
using *pounds on my garlic spreadsheet).

*decimal; pounds/ounces was too big a nuisance.

When my elder daughter objected to me slinging such matters at her,
I gave her a challenge: do what I had to do, and I will never ask
such a question again.

You pay for 13 items at one and seventeen pence three farthings;
how much change do you get from five guineas?

She did it :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.