Fruit - River Cottage Handbook No.9 - Mark Diacono

This beautifully illustrated book is a lyrically persuasive yet highly practical and extensive guide to growing and using your own fruit.

Mark Diacono runs his own organic fruit farm and plant nursery at Otter Farm, East Devon. He leads the garden team at River Cottage where he also runs courses and thus has a wealth of knowledge and experience to share.

Mark covers how to choose what fruit you grow, the choice of varieties suitable for your garden, the tools required and essential terms and techniques of cultivation. This is followed by an exhaustive A–Z of fruit.

It is easy to appreciate why Mark has won so many prestigious national awards for his knowledge and the clarity of his writing makes this book a real joy to read.

The A-Z includes includes guidance on the suitability and taste of different varieties; growing, harvesting and storage tips; the control of pests and diseases and eating tips.

Some of the fruits focused are very familiar, whilst others are less well known but delicious personal favourites. The book includes a most helpful calendar of the pruning and harvesting cycle of each fruit type, and many other helpful charts and diagrams.

Other chapters include:

• Sourcing and Creating your own Plants
• Planning, Preparation & Planting
• Caring for your Plants – including specific pruning advice, feed requirements and the control of pests and diseases, etc.
• Growing in Containers & Under Cover
• An appetizing and unusual selection of 30 fruit based recipes followed
• A directory of other useful contacts.