In The Fruit Garden This May

May is a really active and rewarding time in the fruit garden — everything’s waking up, flowering, and starting to set fruit. Here are the top tips to keep your fruit garden happy and productive this month:

🍓 1. Protect ripening strawberries 

• Net them to stop birds pinching your fruit. 

• Tuck straw underneath to keep berries off damp soil and reduce rot. 

• Water regularly and feed with tomato feed to encourage more fruit. 

🍏 2. Thin fruit on trees 

• Apples, pears, and plums might set more fruit than they can handle. In late May, thin the smaller ones so the rest can grow bigger and healthier. 

• Aim for one fruit per cluster, about 10–15 cm apart. 

🌸 3. Watch for late frosts 

• If you get a cold snap, protect blossom on apples, pears, cherries, and plums with fleece or cloches overnight. 

• Damaged blossom = no fruit, so it’s worth the effort. 

🐝 4. Encourage pollinators 

• Make sure there are nectar-rich flowers nearby (like borage, comfrey, or herbs like thyme). 

• Bees and other insects are vital for fruit set. 

🐛 5. Watch for pests 

• Aphids love the fresh growth—check tips of shoots and rub off or spray with a mild soap solution. 

• Look out for codling moth in apples—hang pheromone traps to monitor and help control. 

• Net soft fruit (currants, gooseberries, cherries) to keep birds off. 

🌿 6. Mulch around bushes and trees 

• A layer of compost or well-rotted manure helps retain moisture, feeds the soil, and reduces weeds. 

• Keep mulch away from the base of stems to prevent rot. 

🍇 7. Train and tie in new growth 

• For espalier apples, cordon fruit, and trained gooseberries or grapes, tie in fresh shoots before they get out of hand. 

• Keeps things tidy and encourages airflow. 

✂️ 8. Prune spring-fruiting raspberries 

• If you grow summer-fruiting raspberries, tie in strong new canes and cut old fruiting ones down to the base. 

• For autumn-fruiting raspberries, let them grow—they’ll fruit on this year’s canes. 

💧 9. Water young plants and container fruit 

• Any fruit in pots (like blueberries or dwarf trees) will need regular watering—especially in dry spells. 

• Rain might not reach pot roots enough. 

🍒 10. Feed container-grown and hungry fruit 

• Blueberries (acid-lovers) need ericaceous feed. 

• Strawberries, raspberries, and gooseberries benefit from high-potash feed (like tomato food) as they start to form fruit.