Perhaps you’ve long given up growing gooseberries or blackberries because of the constant battle with prickles and thorns – there’s nothing worse than trying to reach all the fruit and then landing in a heap among the branches, scratched from head to toe!
Many a usually patient gardener has opted to dedicate their time to a more amenable crop, deciding that gardening shouldn’t be a dangerous pastime! I’ve done just this in the past, resolving to grow more runner beans instead. Much safer.
But there’s a way round this, thankfully – you can start growing fruit again! Lots of thornless and smooth crops have been bred in recent years to make it much easier for the home gardener.
Growing these varieties also means pets and children aren’t hurt either, and they can be planted in a more prominent pot on a patio or at the front of a border, or even just out from behind a protective fence!
Here are four fabulous fruity numbers, all with smooth branches and tasty berries to boot, which will make your plot a safer, more productive place and bring back your enthusiasm for fruit growing.
GN Recommends
- Raspberry ‘Ruby Beauty’ – You can pick a surprising amount of fruit from this unique, dwarf plant to grow in pots, which has smooth stems for easy pickings. From Thompson & Morgan
- Blackberry ‘Oregon Thornless’ – Our own Rob Smith recommends this delicious thornless variety, which looks stunning trained up the side of a shed. From Dobies
- Loganberry ‘LY654’ – So good they forgot to name it properly! Long berries with rich flavour, this is a cross between a blackberry and raspberry. From Mr.Fothergills
- Jostaberry – A mongrel plant, with varying ancestry from blackcurrants and gooseberries. Its leaves look like the latter, but fruit is currant-like, picked from thornless stems. From Pomona Fruits