For bush and soft fruit, check out specialist fruit catalogs for varieties of soft fruit offering disease resistance. New varieties are being introduced each year.
Blackberries (Rubus fruticosus) are too vigorous for most gardens, although unlike most other fruit they tolerate wind and shade. Hybrid berries, such as the thornless loganberry (R. × loganobaccus), are tasty and pretty in flower. They can be trained against a sunny fence.
Blackcurrants (Ribes nigrum) are easy to grow, though difficult to pick. The fruit is of limited use fresh, but makes excellent jam and desserts. Redcurrants (Ribes rebrum) are sweeter than blackcurrants. They are easy to grow, but protection from birds is essential. Cordon-trained plants produce the heaviest crops, and are the easiest to pick, prune and protect from raiding birds.
Gooseberries (Ribes uva-crispa) are spiny, so picking and pruning can be unpleasant. Vertical cordons produce larger fruit which is easier to pick. Like currants, they need to be shaded from hot summer sun. Thin fruit in early summer and use the small, unripe fruit for cooking, leaving the rest to mature on the plant. The plants are long-lived.
Raspberries (Rubus strigosus) are easy to pick and very versatile, whether used fresh or frozen. Summer-fruiting types are usually grown in a line with a wire support. After fruiting, the old canes are cut out and the new canes tied in. The easiest to grow are the autumn-fruiting varieties such as ‘Autumn Bliss.’ They need no supports and are simply cut down to ground level in February.
Strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa) crop a few months after planting, making them a popular choice of fruit. They grow best planted through a mulch of black polythene in mounds of raised earth. Use cloches or netting to protect them from birds. Plant new stock every 2 to 4 years on a new site. Alpine strawberries (F. vesca) make pretty, easy plants for shaded areas of the garden. The fruits are small and tasty but not juicy.
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Both loganberries and raspberries are among the easier berries to pick.
