How to grow raspberries, strawberries and walnuts

The pairing of nuts and berries is a match made in heaven. Follow these easy steps to growing your own raspberries, strawberries and walnuts and you need not go further than your backyard to enjoy them.

Raspberries are a cool-climate bramble, growing best where summers are mild and winters are cool to cold. Worthwhile varieties include 'Chilcotin' and 'Willamette', which bear their fruit in summer, and 'Autumn Bliss', which produces fruit in autumn.

Raspberry brambles require moderately rich, well-drained soil to produce good results. Like many other brambles, the plants sucker freely and can be invasive if positioned too close to a vegetable garden. For ease of harvesting, they should be allowed to grow between two parallel wires and pruned back hard during winter. With raspberries, after the fruit has finished the old canes should be cut back at ground level and the new canes tied to the wire supports.

There is quite a lot of work involved in maintaining a neat group of plants. If grown well, raspberries are generally quite hardy and resistant to pests and diseases. Fungal problems may occur if the stems are allowed to grow thickly without adequate pruning; good air circulation around the plants is important, especially when the fruit is forming.

Most climates are suitable for strawberries. Different varieties have been developed to suit areas from the tropics to cool-climate regions. Plant only certified, virus-free plants; they should be replaced after three years' growth, when they will have lost their vigour.

Recommended varieties include 'Red Gauntlet', 'Redland's Promise', 'Tioga' and 'Honeoya'. Ideally, there should be one-, two- and three-year-old plants growing at any one time, in order to ensure a continuous supply of fruit. Strawberries can be grown in a wide range of soils but will not tolerate poor drainage. New runners should be planted into some moderately rich soil and watered well in hot weather.

Fruit should be protected from slugs, snails and birds. Straw mulch should be placed to support ripening fruit and prevent mold, which occurs with ground contact.

The walnut is a handsome tree, growing as much as 15 metres (49 feet) in height. These trees prefer a cool climate, although they can also grow in warmer districts with great success. Spring frosts will affect the crop. There are many varieties available, some of which may take up to 15 years to produce a good crop.  Worthwhile varieties of walnut trees include 'Wilson's Wonder', 'Freshford Gem' and 'Franquette'.

Plant in a spacious, sunny position with rich soil, and water well in summer. The nut shells should easily split open when mature.