I am looking for some suggestions for dual purpose reasonably fast growing trees/shrubs to act as a windbreak and also hopefully provide fruit that can be harvested and used.
Preferably not of the conifer varieties.
Answers on a postcard please addressed to............... DTL
Not sure how fast growing they are, but my garden had a few Damson trees on the field boundary. They suckered (or maybe the stones grew) and I now have a thicket of damson. There are also sloes in the hedge which are not nice to eat.
Fruit trees are not necessarily "fast growing" (and it also depends on the rootstock on the height so basically when it comes down to fruit, it is down to maturity)
Now if you want hazel nuts, hazel grow quite fast and the main "trunk" cut back to just about ground level will produce several branches (and then these can be trimmed back when at a suitable length and branch width for wood / stakes to use in the garden eg bean poles or a rustic bed boundary)
PS how about instead of trees, you could grow berry fruit like raspberries (not sure how they'd grow where you are)? There is of course trimming right back so obviously not always a permanent wind break but you could still get quite a thicket of them)
lancashire lass wrote: ↑20 Mar 2023, 09:55
Now if you want hazel nuts, hazel grow quite fast and the main "trunk" cut back to just about ground level will produce several branches (and then these can be trimmed back when at a suitable length and branch width for wood / stakes to use in the garden eg bean poles or a rustic bed boundary)
PS how about instead of trees, you could grow berry fruit like raspberries (not sure how they'd grow where you are)? There is of course trimming right back so obviously not always a permanent wind break but you could still get quite a thicket of them)
I have a front hazel hedge. Don't get them ahead of the squirrels, who then plant them all over the place.
They do make good poles.
When we moved here there was indeed a thicket of raspberry, quite a job to get in and pick them. They sucker and seed.
lancashire lass wrote: ↑20 Mar 2023, 09:55
Now if you want hazel nuts, hazel grow quite fast and the main "trunk" cut back to just about ground level will produce several branches (and then these can be trimmed back when at a suitable length and branch width for wood / stakes to use in the garden eg bean poles or a rustic bed boundary)
Mo wrote: ↑20 Mar 2023, 15:19
I have a front hazel hedge. Don't get them ahead of the squirrels, who then plant them all over the place.
They do make good poles.
Sounds promising, nuts, garden canes and a wind break all from one tree!
lancashire lass wrote: ↑20 Mar 2023, 09:55
PS how about instead of trees, you could grow berry fruit like raspberries (not sure how they'd grow where you are)? There is of course trimming right back so obviously not always a permanent wind break but you could still get quite a thicket of them)
Mo wrote: ↑20 Mar 2023, 15:19
When we moved here there was indeed a thicket of raspberry, quite a job to get in and pick them. They sucker and seed.
We have a full bed of raspberries as these are one of our favourite fruits, we have started using cuttings from them in our perimeter fence but need something more permanent and stronger for this wind break. I must agree with you both that they rapidly spread and take over but they are thoroughly delicious on a homemade cheesecake!