@gardenorganicuk share their tips for growing your own fruit: October to March is the ideal time to plant trees or fruit bushes, whether as bare roots or container grown plants. They’ll thrive in well-drained, fertile soil in a sunny position. Just make sure the soil is not frozen or waterlogged before planting. Bare root plants might look unappealing when they arrive, but they're packed with potential. Given the right care, the plant will establish quickly and before you know it, you’ll be picking juicy fruits. Soil preparation is key to success. If your soil drains well and is reasonably fertile, prepare a planting hole 1 metre in diameter. If your soil is poor, prepare a larger area and mix 1-2 spades of garden compost into the dug-out soil. Dig a hole at least 20cm deeper than the bottom of the roots and backfill with soil. Ensure the final planting depth is the same height as the soil mark on the stem (and no lower than the graft union – the bump at the bottom of the stem, just above the roots). The only exception are blackcurrants, which should be planted 5cm deeper than the original soil mark. If you have a small garden, you can still grow fruit bushes in a container. A single raspberry, for example, will need an 45cm diameter pot that can hold at least 15litres of compost. Add a little coarse gravel to the bottom of the pot, to cover the drainage holes. Fruit trees such as cherries or apples, grown on a dwarfing rootstock, are ideal for smaller spaces. You could also try figs, crab apples or strawberry trees. Although your new fruit plants will need watering in the first 2-3 years, they are pretty easy companions. It pays to keep a perimeter of 60-75cm clear of grass and weeds, so the roots have room to establish. A mulch around the base can help too. Use old newspaper (at least 8 pages thick) or cardboard covered with straw, grass mowings, or leaf mould and water to moisten. Pruning can help open up the canopy, allow air to circulate and prevent disease. Best of all, it encourages more fruit. Your little fruit garden will take 2 years to settle in and probably won’t provide a large harvest until year 3. But it will be worth waiting for.