In The Fruit Garden This February

Here are your top February fruit-garden tips 🍎🍓It’s a key month for pruning, planting, and setting things up for a great harvest.

✂️ Prune while plants are dormant

• Apples & pears: Winter prune to shape trees and improve airflow.

• Currants & gooseberries:

  • Blackcurrants — remove about a third of the oldest stems.

  • Red/white currants & gooseberries — spur prune.

• Autumn-fruiting raspberries: Cut all canes right down to ground level.

⚠️ Don’t prune stone fruit (plums, cherries) now — wait until summer to avoid disease.

🌱 Plant bare-root fruit

If the soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged:

• Apple, pear, plum trees

• Currants, gooseberries

• Raspberries & strawberries

Water well after planting and firm in — wind rock is a winter killer.

🍓 Feed & mulch

• Apply well-rotted manure or garden compost around fruit trees and bushes.

• Avoid piling mulch against stems or trunks.

• Give hungry plants (especially strawberries) a general fertiliser as growth starts.

🛠️ General care & checks

• Repair and tighten supports, wires, and frames for trained fruit.

• Remove fallen fruit and leaves to reduce pests and disease.

• Check tree ties — loosen if they’re digging in.

❄️ Frost & wildlife protection

• Keep fleece handy for early blossom (especially apricots, peaches).

• Protect strawberries from birds and squirrels as buds swell.

• Encourage pollinators with nearby early flowers.

🐛 Pests (quiet but important)

• Grease bands on apple trees help stop winter moths.

• Look for aphid eggs and overwintering pests on stems and buds.

📋 Plan ahead

• Purchase fruit cages, netting, and replacement plants now.

• Decide where to add new varieties while structure is visible.

February is about setting the framework — the fruit follows later 🍒