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While many gardeners have some trees, few would think of planting them alongside their vegetable crops, believing the trees will take the lion’s share of moisture and nutrients from the soil.
However, expert growers Andy Dibben and Ben Raskin insist that it is possible to successfully integrate trees with vegetable growing and are keen to promote silvohorticulture, which involves growing trees and annual crops together in the same area.
They have now written a book about it, called Silvohorticulture, to show how you can do it, arguing trees can benefit your harvest.
“The benefits of including trees are around shelter, biodiversity and improving soil health,” says Raskin, Soil Association’s head of horticulture and agroforestry.
“A lot of gardens will already have some trees which are doing that job, but an allotment, for instance, might be a bit more open and you can think of including trees in the mix.”
Think about balance
“The key thing is balancing the height and size of the tree to your system. In gardens, for instance, you could have a 2ft step-over trained apple (tree) along the side of your path. It doesn’t have to be big or tall, but you can bring in those benefits on whatever scale,” says Raskin.
Make your garden more productive
“Fruit trees will help you get more produce out of the same bit of land, so your plot becomes more productive. Let’s say you plant an apple tree and get it right, it won’t reduce your vegetable yields, it might actually increase them – and you’re also getting a fruit crop at the same time,” he says.
Give veg some shade
Many vegetables don’t want full sun all day, says Dibben, head grower at Abbey Home Farm in Cirencester, Gloucestershire.
“Whether you’re an ‘allotmenteer’ or you’ve got a little raised bed in your veg garden, we’re all going to be affected by droughts and by floods. Growing lettuces, radish and cabbages, none of these things want to be in baking sunshine all day long. A lot of veg, such as fennel, celery and lettuce, prefer a bit of dappled shade, especially if we are pushing into extreme heat in the height of summer.
“Introducing a bit of shade as we go forward, as the weather becomes more extreme, will help. It’s a misnomer that the best thing for a vegetable plant is maximum sunshine all day.”
However, if you are going to grow tender crops outside such as tomatoes, they would be better placed in the middle of the plot away from the shade of the trees, Dibben advises.
Consider the position of your tree
“Broadly speaking, if you are planting rows of trees, your space between the rows shouldn’t be less than two times the height of your tree. So, if your vegetable bed is, say, 6ft wide, your trees shouldn’t be more than 3ft tall,” Raskin explains.
This prevents over-shading and competition between the roots of trees and the veg crops for moisture and nutrients, he continues.
Some crops can be planted close to the trunk, as roots don’t necessarily operate on the same level. So if you have a tree whose roots have been pushed down below, say, the first 2ft of topsoil, then you could cultivate the top soil layer and plant shallow rooted crops such as lettuces near the tree because they won’t be using the same layer of soil, says Raskin.
However, much depends on the tree, the crop and the weather, he adds.
On small plots choose dwarfing rootstocks
“If you are growing on dwarfing rootstocks, the competition will be minimal because dwarfing rootstocks aren’t really competitive,” Raskin says.
When you buy an apple tree, for instance, ask your garden centre for one on a dwarf rootstock. Dibben reckons you are more likely to get a much better choice online. He recommends Orange Pippin and Frank P Matthews, along with Tom the Apple Man and Walcot Organic Nursery.
Choose good plant partners
“Look at the habit of the tree,” Raskin advises. You may have trouble growing veg under trees with a very dense leaf and spreading structure, such as apricots, but more upright trees with feathery foliage will allow more light through.
Trees grown in glasshouses like nectarines and peaches can also offer shade to crops including tomatoes and peppers in really hot spells, or could be fan-trained to allow maximum light to crops when the weather isn’t as good, says Dibben.
Plant in pots
The beauty of this is that if you plant a tree in a pot, you can move it around, depending on how much light you want on your vegetables, says Dibben. Try growing figs, which will relish the patio heat. Many trees will grow well in a well-drained, rich soil but those in pots will need more water in prolonged hot spells.
What about watering?
In the early years, when the tree is establishing, it will need watering as much as your veg. At the beginning of the growing season, trees will need a lot of water as their leaves are emerging, Dibben advises.
Dwarfing rootstocks don’t go as deep into the soil as larger trees, so are less able to survive in dry conditions, so continue to water the tree along with the veg in a dry year, Raskin adds.
Silvohorticulture: A Grower’s Guide To Integrating Trees Into Crops by Andy Dibben and Ben Raskin is published by Chelsea Green Publishing UK, priced £20. Available now
