Help with new fruit garden

[Fab41]

We have taken up a load of paving slabs which were in our front garden. The area is about 10m x 2.5m. We have very sandy soil, so I am planning to add compost once we have got rid of the hardcore under the old slabs.

I want to plant a fruit garden, apple tree, rhubarb, raspberries, but it has to be low maintenance. Any advice welcome, thanks.

[Dunwhingin]

Have a look for columnar apple trees, also look for family trees. They come on growth restricting rootstocks that make them stay compact, fruit well and don't take up too much room. Pruning is quite simple - take out upright whippy bits in the winter and keep removing the occasional larger piece to keep the fruit wood renewing.
If your soil is very free draining then they will need irrigation to help the blossom set and the fruit reach a good size.

Have you got a wall? You could grow an espalier apple and pear perhaps?

Rhubarb is very easy to grow, it's quite hungry so would love a bit of fym. Timperley early is very nice (and keeps its colour well when you cook it) It hates wet roots so will love your sandy soil.

Raspberries - these need pruning once a year - you keep one year wood as it fruits in year two
Get a mixture of varieties and you can pick from June - October

Whatever you want to get buy it from these people
www.frankpmatthews.com
They are so lovely and all the trees and plants I've had from them have been really amazing

You can grow strawberries in hanging baskets really happily.

Blackcurrants, white or red grown in a border are easy too - remove 30% of the old wood to keep them fruiting well.

Shout if you need more, I can bore on fruit for hours lol

[Dunwhingin]

That was rather over simple on apple pruning the rhs site is fab
apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=90