How to grow Plum in the UK
- TypeTree
- Ready to pickAugust, September
- Space neededabout 3m x 3m
When is plum ready to pick?
Mid-August to September.
Ripe when soft at the stalk end and it comes off easily. Pick over a few days as they don't all ripen together.
Looking after plum
- ONLY prune in summer (June-August) - pruning in winter lets in a disease called silver leaf
- If branches are loaded, thin the plums in June or prop branches up so they don't snap
- Victoria is self-fertile - one tree is enough
Storing and keeping
Eat fresh within a few days, or stone and freeze them for crumbles.
Pests and problems
Wasps love ripe plums - pick promptly and hang a wasp trap nearby.
Good varieties
- Victoria: The UK's favourite - heavy crops in late August.
- Opal: Ripe from late July - before the wasps get going.
- Czar: A hardy cooking plum that copes with frost.
- Oullins Gage: A golden gage - like a honey-sweet plum.
Plan your own garden: it tells you what to do and when, for your postcode.
Start growing - it's free