Plum > Reviews (1)

If you have a garden big enough then an English plum tree is one of the easiest fruit trees to care for. We have one at the bottom of the garden which is still in its infancy. Unfortunately I have a few years to go yet until my tree will start producing fruit.

==Price and availability==

The trees can be bought from garden centres and cost various prices depending on the maturity. Our tree was £31.00. If you are short of space you can buy mini plum trees. You can buy them through mini orchard retailers. Mini trees will grow less and take up a lot less room, you can train them against a wall with minimal effort.

==Needs and expectations==

The plum tree needs to be planted in October or November and placed in a moist and sunny place. When you buy the tree you should keep the roots in a bucket of water until you decide to plant it. Once planted, mix a little fertiliser with the soil and keep heavily watered until it has fully established itself.

You should expect the tree to fruit for around 4 weeks. Plums should be plucked as you soon as you can and remove any diseased fruit as this attracts wasps. Ripe plums do not last well so you should try to eat these fairly soon. Under ripe plums will last a lot longer so you should try and get hold of these of you want them to last well.

Plums taste wonderful and I am excited at the thought of having my own. English plums are a particular weakness of mine as they are much fleshier and juicier. I love the soft skin that has a light chalky texture and the spongy centre. I like eating them alone or making plum and apple crumble. This is a good option for over ripe plums or you can use them in jam. Plum compote is really tasty and can be eaten on toast or mixed into desserts. The jam will last for a year and it makes great gifts for people.