Thinning Soft Fruit

In June, a natural fruit drop occurs which will lighten the load on your fruit trees. However, for the best crop, you may wish to consider thinning fruits to allow healthy and good sized fruits to develop. If you thin crops judiciously in June then you will be far more likely to get a bumper crop. While you will get a crop regardless of whether you thin or not, thinning could spell the difference between an okay crop and a wonderful one. Growing fruit is a great way to boost the productivity of your garden and over the years, if you plan well and tend correctly, the yield from your garden will just continue to grow.


Apples to ThinApples


It is a good idea to thin apples to one fruit per cluster. How much space to leave between clusters depends on the variety. For most dessert apple varieties it is recommended to thin to 10-15cm between clusters, while a spacing of 15-23cm is recommended for larger cooking varieties.


Pears To ThinPlums


Plums are forming and growing quickly at this time of year. It can be difficult to sacrifice any of the forming fruit but if you want to get a good yield, it really is a good idea to thin the forming plums to a spacing of 5-8cm.


Pears In JunePears


Pears will form in clusters in June but often, these clusters will be too congested to allow full-sized, healthy and juicy fruits to form. Really, you should try to take off all but two of the best formed fruits per cluster. Pear clusters should be spaced to around 10-15cm apart.


Peach House, HeliganPeaches


If you have had successful pollination on your peach tree and have managed to keep your tree healthy and happy throughout the spring then you should now be seeing the fruit beginning to form. It is a good idea to this fruit to a spacing of around 20-25cm in order to get some peaches of good health and quality.


Gooseberries in JuneGooseberries


Bush grown gooseberry plants will be fruiting this month. To ensure the continued healthy growth of these bushes, it is good practice to cut back the current season's growth to five leaves, though you should leave any branches needed to increase the size of the plant.


This is an exciting time of year, when you will begin to see the fruits of many of your labours. The work that you do now will pay dividends over the next few months and ensure a sustainable food stock for years to come. Take care of your fruit garden throughout the year and you will be able to enjoy delicious and healthy produce that tastes so much better and is so much cheaper than the produce you buy in the shops.