How To Soil Preparation For Organic Fruit Farming

Foodscaping fruiting plants into hedges is a creative way to cram more tasty organic food into a garden. And, from a design perspective, there's the colour and interest of fruit and flowers. Speaking more generally, hedges can screen out ugly views and noise, add privacy and windbreaks, define boundaries and create garden rooms. Repeated elements tend to be more visually relaxing than using different plants in the one hedge.

Edible hedges don't have to be straight vertical walls but can be circular, flowing, low as well as tall, and used to border trees or garden beds.Before you hit the nursery, here are a few things to consider.

SOIL PREPARATION AND SPACING

PLANT SELECTION

Morag advises a good strategy is to select plants that suit your climate. This generally results in bigger yield, healthier plants and less need for extra resources. For a compact hedge, choose foliage with smaller leaves and denser growth over open branches.

Unless you want a mega hedge, for larger-growing trees pick those with dwarf rootstock.If you want a hedge that looks spruce year round, avoid deciduous plants in favour of evergreens. On the other hand, many deciduous species (such as blueberries) create interest with flashy autumn foliage.

TRIMMING AND MAINTENANCE

Trim your hedge as soon as it gets a little form, Morag advises: Build the shape and get the plants working together as a hedge.

"Trimmings can go into mulch or compost so that there's this circular economy in your garden."

Ideally, trim after the flowers and fruit. In between, just give it a little tidy. "Give it a chance to re-establish itself for the next fruiting season,

Apply compost and mulch every six months. As Morag says, "If you want to get fruit you need to feed your hedge!"

FRUITIS SOIL PREPARATION FOR DIFFERENT CLIMATES

Pomegranate,Punica Granatum

Native to Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions, pomegranate (pictured right) loves sun, hot.dry summers.cool winters and a well-drained spot."Within Australia it grows beautifully in the southern states of Australia across to Western Australia," says Morag. "It's a very hardy plant." Pomegranate (which is deciduous with brightly coloured autumn foliage and pretty red flowers preceding the fruit) grows easily from cuttings. Morag suggests planting a series of lengths about a pencil in thickness straight into the ground.

Olive, Olea Europaea

Olives (below) thrive in the same conditions as pomegranate. Drought-tolerant and robust. their evergreen silver foliage can handle harsh trimming. Nonetheless,they do need reasonable feeding and watering to get them started and to maintain fruiting. The leaf can also be used as an alternative to green tea, says Morag. Some small and dense varieties include 'Tolley's Upright', 'Italian Leccino' and 'Verdele'.Olive trees fruit better when there is more than one tree.Curing the fruit is actually pretty easy,too.

Citrus Spp.

Native to Southeast Asia, most citrus (including limes, grapefruit and pomelo) love hot, moist conditions and grow brilliantly in the subtropics. More cold-tolerant citrus include cumquats, lemons (especially Meyer and Lisbon), tangerines and mandarins (such as Imperial and Satsuma). For the smallest leaves and low height, hedge with cumquat.

Native to mediterranean and middle eastern regions, pomegranate loves sun, hot, dry summers,cool winters and a well-drained spot.

Feijoa, Acca sellowlana

The small,olive-like leaves and dense growing habit of this Brazilian tree (left) make for a perfect hedge. It has a beautiful flower and delicious round fruits. The hardy feijoa (pineapple guava) thrives best in subtropical conditions but can tolerate cold. coastal exposures and winds. The pineapple-flavoured fruit, which falls when ripe,is usually harvested from the ground.

Strawberry guava, Psidium cattleianum

Similar to feijoa. strawberry guava (below) can tolerate temperatures as low as-5°C. The small, soft-textured red fruits are crammed with crunchy seeds and taste like strawberry. Morag says guavas favour warmer climates and sun."While you'll get the most productivity in the subtropics. you can grow them anywhere with reasonable warmth. They're very robust."

Acerola cherry, Malpighia emarginata

Also known as the Barbados or West Indian cherry, the Acerola cherry (below) originates from tropical America. It thrives in similar environments with lots of heat and moisture. The pink and white flowers become cheery red cherries rich in vitamin C. Their taste has been likened to a tart strawberry. 

Grumichama, Eugenia dombeyi/brasiliensis

The Brazil cherry, grumichama (below), is the tropics' version of the cherry. Morag says: "It makes this beautiful, glossy, dense hedge with these delicious, pendulous. cherry-type fruits." In late summer come exceptional displays of white flowers. Best grown in subtropical regions, the medium-sized tree prefers partial shade. E dombeyi (below) has dark purple berries; E. brasiliensis bears yellow ones, with a soft texture like guava. 

Lilly pilly, Syzygium spp.

One of the most productive fruiting hedges, this fast-growing native (above) is a popular screening bush and can handle harsh pruning. The crisp fruit is tart. spicy and high in vitamin C. Hailing from the rainforest margins of NSW and Queensland,lilly pilly likes sun and some shade, Morag says. She suggests sourcing one adapted to your area from a local nursery(there are at least 50 species of Syzygium across Australia). "There's all these different flavours and colours." she says."They have incredible flowers too."