Good varieties to grow in the UK: During spring, French and Spanish varieties. Plant in: September - March Harvest in: Summer and autumn Type of soil needed: Most are OK Favoured climate: Bright, warm and plenty of moisture
Plums are another long-term project for the keen gardener, as they require some considerable amount of attention and can grow to enormous sizes (more than 8 metres tall). You'll need to wait a couple of years before you can harvest the fruit, but pretty soon you'll be able to harvest abundantly and annually.
Firstly, choose your tree. Our advice – unless you live in a stately home – is to go for something smaller than a standard tree, given that even a half-standard will grow to 4 metres. Choose a pyramid variety if you have a small garden, and a bush variety if you have a larger garden and don't mind climbing a ladder to get the fruit.
They should pollinate from other trees around them, like apple trees, but you may find it prudent to plant two trees – one for cooking and one for eating, perhaps. Nurseries will be able to tell you which types can pollinate each other.
Treat the soil and the planting as you would with an apple tree – prepare the soil a month in advance with organic matter, making it crumbly rather than dense using compost, meal or some bark. Plant the sapling – choose a 2 year old tree for convenience and also to ensure quicker results – and cover the roots. Again, some trees may need staking – please check with the nursery you bought your tree from for advice, as it differs by species.
Feed with an organic fertilizer the Autumn after you plant the tree, and not before. Prune the tree, particularly branches that grow back in towards the trunk, above healthy-looking buds. Maintain the tree's shape and try to prune pyramid trees in winter, and bushes in June.
Thin the fruit – pick 30-50% from some of the tree – when the branches themselves start to bow under the weight of the growing plums. As well as promoting growth, this stops the fruit from damaging the branches.
Plums only last for a couple of days if left fresh, but you can use certain types to make prunes.
