The benefits of soft fruit
Soft fruit is a favorite in the garden for many people because it yields fairly easily and is very expensive when you have to buy it in the store. All soft fruit species are perennials. So you plant them once and then, with a little bit of good care, you can harvest from the same plant for years.
Self-pollinating or cross-pollinating
There is a huge choice of soft fruit and there are also many different varieties available per type. In this blog I will try to describe all types of soft fruit and say something about the varieties that we have or have had. I will also mention whether types are self-pollinating or cross-pollinating . With cross-pollination, multiple plants are needed to get fruits or even a male and female plant are needed. In fact, with all types, even though they are self-pollinating, more fruits are formed through cross-pollination. Many of these types are available in our webshop .
Currant (self-pollinating)
Currants are plants known for their bunches of red, often somewhat sour berries. People put them in yoghurt and they are often on cakes with forest fruits. They are easy to grow and can be grown in full sun but can also tolerate some shade. Incidentally, there are not only red varieties available but also white currants and a cross between the two which produces pink. White and pink are less popular with birds and are often also sweeter . The colour is somewhat less spectacular in dishes.
Different breeds:
Red
- Jonkheer van Tets (is often the variety you find in the supermarket, large berries and good yield)
- Rovada (large berries and long bunches)
- Rotet (tasty berry, moderate production)
White
- White Werdavia (best known for its use in desserts)
- White Pearl (sweet taste)
- White Dutchman (sweet, less susceptible to diseases)
Pink
- Pink Champagne (light pink color, very sweet)
- Rosalinn (light pink color, less sweet than Pink Champagne)
- Sweetwei (large bunches of sweet pink berries)
