Stone Fruit Farming Garden Farm - A Plum | Aplus Farms

No wonder the name of this juicy stone fruit, loved around the world, is a byword for all that's easy and desirable

When the weather turns  cool and the trees are  bare, my thoughts always  turn to planting deciduous trees and shrubs. Of all of the deciduous fruit trees, I have a real fondness for plums. As a small tree they are delightfully pretty with glossy green leaves, attractive autumn foliage colour and beautiful spring blossom.

Combine these qualities with a hefty crop of plump, sweet fruit and it's clear why the humble plum is a backyard staple. Many plum crops also linger into atumn, when we are udesperately  trying to hold on to the rich palette of summer fruits. 

A plum's sweetness and intensity of flavour seems to double when picked and eaten ripe from the  tree but they can also be cooked into delicious pies, cakes, pastries, jams  and sauces. The Japanese varieties with large,  soft, juicy fruit are perhaps the most familiar. 

Most have golden flesh with the exception of blood plums, which are red to the stone. The smaller fruited European plums vary in colour from pale green-yellow to blue and purple with golden flesh and tend to like the weather a little cooler than Japanese plums. Some can also be dried as prunes.

Types Of Trees

Of the European types, 'Prune d'Agen' is a classic French variety with dark red-purple skin and greenish-yellow flesh. The small oval-shaped fruit is high in sugar so it makes good eating straight from the tree, but it has also earned a reputation as one of the best prune varieties. 

It ripens late in the season as summer fades to autumn.If you're after a good jam variety, try growing 'Damson' or 'Damask' plums. The fruit is dainty and round and a little tart straight from the tree but it makes the most delicious plum jam.They're also great for drying and cooking or used to make a wicked liqueur.

'President' is one of the larger European-style plums with deep purple skin and firm, juicy, golden yellow flesh. It's delicious straight from the tree, stewed, dried or made into a batch of sticky jam.Let the fruit ripen fully on the tree for maximum sweetness.

'Green Gage' is another allrounder with greenish-yellow skin and yellow flesh. Don't be fooled by its unripe appearance – this plum is remarkably sweet.Among the Japanese plums, 'Santa Rosa' is an old favourite, with goodsized round purple-red fruit and yellow flesh and just a touch of pink close to the skin. 

It's delicious picked fresh from the backyard, although a touch tart under the skin, and makes a lovely batch of stewed plums or jam.Young trees can be slow to establish a good crop but you'll have oodles of fruit in the long run.

There are also some wonderful lower-chill varieties like 'Gulf Ruby', with pretty red-blushed skin and sweet yellow flesh, or 'Gulf Gold', with sweet, firm fruit, golden from skin to stone.Of all the blood plums, I find 'Mariposa' the tastiest, with dark maroon skin and blood-red flesh that's deliciously sweet when ripe. 

'Satsuma' is another favourite, with tasty blood-red flesh all the way through. Its fruit is a sumptuous mix of sweet and sour, so enjoy it ripe from the tree, preserved or made into yummy plum jam.

"The japanese varieties with large, soft, juicy fruit are perhaps the most familiar. Most have golden flesh with the exception of blood plums"

Growing, Harvesting

Look out for bare-rooted or potted plum trees for planting through the winter months. Most plums do well in a temperate climate, though European plums do prefer slightly cooler growing conditions than the Japanese varieties.

Plums like full sun and good drainage, so dig a liberal amount of compost and well-rotted organic matter into the soil before planting. Top-dress trees with a good layer of compost each spring and fertilise with a complete organic fruit food to promote a bumper fruit crop.

Some plum varieties are self-fertile but many need a cross-pollinating partner to produce a bountiful crop, so always check the plant label for guidance. Depending on the variety, plums can be harvested through summer and into autumn. The fruit tastes better if left to ripen on the tree so pick them when they are plump, even in colour and bursting with flavour.

A PLUM (Stone Fruit)

If you're a fan of native ingredients, you might like to try growing the Australian Davidson's plum. As a rainforest tree that grows naturally from far north tropical Queensland, to northern New South Wales, it performs best in warm conditions in a shaded or partly shaded position with good drainage. 

It has an unusual fruiting habit, producing dark purple plum-like fruit that sprouts from the trunk in bunches. The raw fruit is very sour, so remove the seed/s and cook it to really appreciate the flavour. Look out for two varieties, the northern Davidsonia pruriens and its smaller southern cousin. 

Planting Tips and Tricks

A Plum have more antioxidants than blueberries and a hundred times the vitamin C of oranges.

Scientific Stone Fruit

• Common name: Plum 
• Botanical name: Prunus spp. 
• Family: Rosaceae 
• Aspect & soil: Sun; well-drained soil
• Best climate: Temperate to cool 
• Habit: Small to medium-sized deciduous tree 
• Propagation: Cuttings, grafting, air-layering 
• Difficulty: Easy