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. “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.
