🟣 Plum

Plums, damsons and gages are among the most rewarding tree fruits, with a juicy, sweet flesh and a rich flavour you rarely find in shops. Many varieties are self-fertile, so a single tree gives good crops without a pollination partner.

Plums flower early, so a sheltered spot is important; blossom damaged by late frost is the main cause of poor crops. Fan-trained trees on a sunny wall are space-saving and well protected, and compact rootstocks such as Pixy suit smaller gardens.

Varieties to try

Victoria (the classic, self-fertile, heavy)Marjorie’s Seedling (late, self-fertile, good in the north)Czar (early cooker, hardy, self-fertile)Opal (early, sweet dessert, self-fertile)Cambridge Gage (excellent flavour, self-fertile)Merryweather (damson, self-fertile)

Plant bare-root trees in November to March, or container-grown trees in spring, in a sunny, sheltered, frost-free spot with fertile, well-drained soil. Avoid frost pockets at the bottom of slopes, since blossom is very susceptible to late frosts.

Stake firmly and plant with the graft union 5 cm above ground level. Water well and mulch around the trunk. Plums are pruned in spring or summer, never winter, to avoid silver leaf disease. Fan-trained trees need a frame of horizontal wires on a warm wall or fence.

Top tips

• Avoid frost pockets.
• Never prune in winter.
• Choose self-fertile varieties.
• Fan-train against a sunny wall for shelter.

Water well in the first years and in dry spells, and mulch each spring. Prune in spring or summer only, when the sap is rising, to lessen the risk of silver leaf and bacterial canker. Remove dead, diseased and crossing branches, and keep the centre open.

In good years, trees overload, so thin fruitlets in June to 5–8 cm apart, preventing broken branches and improving the size. Support heavy-laden branches. Plum moth causes maggots in fruit, aphids attack young leaves, and wasps attack ripe fruit. Brown rot is common in wet weather.

Top tips

• Prune only from spring to late summer.
• Thin fruitlets in June.
• Support laden branches.
• Pick off brown-rot fruit.

Watch out for

Plum mothSilver leafBacterial cankerAphidsBrown rotWasps

Plums are ready from August to September, depending on variety. They should be fully coloured and slightly soft, and come away from the tree with a gentle twist. Pick over several visits, since a tree’s fruit ripens over two or three weeks. Cooking plums can be picked a little earlier.

Leave dessert plums to ripen on the tree for the best sugar. Handle the delicate skin carefully, as bruises spoil the fruit. Pick regularly to reduce wasp and brown-rot damage, and remove rotten fruit.

Top tips

• Pick over several visits.
• Leave dessert plums to ripen fully.
• Handle gently.
• Remove rotten fruit.

Eat ripe plums fresh, or bake in tarts, crumbles, cakes and clafoutis, roast with spices, or turn into jam, chutney, sauces (such as Chinese plum sauce) and plum gin. Damsons are tart and ideal for jam, cheese and gin. Plums pair well with almonds, cinnamon and duck.

Ripe plums keep 3–5 days in the fridge. To freeze, halve and stone, freeze on a tray and bag for up to a year. Plum jam and chutney preserve gluts nicely, and plums can be bottled in syrup or dried into prunes in a low oven.

Top tips

• Halve and stone before freezing.
• Roast with cinnamon.
• Make damson gin in autumn.
• Preserve gluts as chutney.