Topic: Planting through plastic

[amanda21]

I am going to cover my top-end (overgrown - probably couch?) with black plastic this week and had intended just to leave it for a year or so.   I had earmarked this area eventually for my shed and seat.  However, would you believe that this morning from two different sources I have been offered some fruit bushes - 2 blackcurrant, a redcurrant and a gooseberry.  I hadn't allowed for any of these in my original plan for the rest of the plot - I thought they would be probably a next year or so kind of thing - so am now wondering if they could be planted through the plastic?  This would allow them to be up at the top end of the plot out of the way and all together which would allow me to net them.   I think there would be enough ground for both shed and bushes.

Any other tips on fruit bushes - ie sunny/shade, how much room between them all, how deep etc. gratefully received.

Thanks

[Robert_Brenchley]

I don't see why it shouldn't work, but you'll need to keep them well watered, as the root systems take a while to establish and the soil gets terribly dry under plastic. Plant six feet apart and they should be OK.

[amanda21]

Actually I've just looked at what I bought and it's not plastic at all but the fabric kind of weed suppressant.

[John_H]

Growing fruit is great, lots of return for very little work :)

Others may well add different views, but as I understood it the Gooseberry and Redcurrent don't need to have as much sunlight as the blackcurrent.  Even if you put them somewhere and change your mind later, you can always take cuttings next autumn and start off a whole load of new plants.

Worth checking up about prunning if you haven't done this already. Blackcurrent fruit most on the wood which grew the season before, so you are always cutting about a third of the bush right back to ground level to encourage long new shoots to grow up from low down. Redcurrent and Gooseberry bushes build up a long term shape on a permanant central stem, so that there are maybe five branches fanning upwards and away from a central stem (best pictured as a sort of big wine glass shape).

I reckon you will need to make sure they are well watered in their first season too, because thats the time they can suffer from haveing a limited root range to collect water in.