MORE householders rent their homes now than 10 years ago, people between the ages of 20 and 40 spend half as much money on their gardens as older homeowners and gardens are becoming smaller. These were the findings of last year’s Garden Market Analysis Report for the Horticultural Trades Association. So, when tenants rent a property and know they may not stay there long, they’ll probably want quick-growing plants.

If you’re in this situation but would still like to grow your own food, consider container-grown fruit. The pots take up very little space and you can easily cart them off when flitting. When my son moved house recently his removal van made an extra trip for all his compost and plants.

It’s easy to grow currants, gooseberries and blueberries and you’ll be rewarded with a crop within a year. And a new low-growing raspberry, Ruby Beauty, is also excellent. Most gooseberries, currants and blueberries are self-fertile, so you’ll get fruit with just one plant.

Always use pots that are large enough for your bush or tree. The plant should sit comfortably inside, leaving 3-4cm between the outer edge of the roots and the pot. You’ll get miserable results if you cram a bush into too small a container.

Repot every year, into a slightly larger container, until you don’t want the bush to grow larger. The old compost will have lost nutrients and structure by this time, so an injection of fresh material is essential.

When repotting, don’t use a container that’s considerably larger than the root system. Without roots growing through and breaking up the compost it will become dense and soggy, and damage any root tips that come in contact with it.

As ever, homemade compost is the best growing medium. Otherwise, choose a loam-based compost and sprinkle in a product such as Rootgrow to stimulate a healthy root system. Blueberries need acidic conditions, so use ericaceous compost, or mix in sulphur chips if using your own compost.

Raise the pot off the ground, either with pot feet or three or four old slates to allow surplus water to drain away. Roots will rot if kept in waterlogged compost.

The soil must always be moist, however, so it helps to cover the surface with a biodegradable mulch. Give a pot a good soak every week and more often during a dry spell. This soaking also washes away salts that could build up at the bottom of a pot and damage the plant.

A weekly liquid feed is equally important. When flowers start forming, use a potash-based feed such as liquid comfrey or tomato feed to supplement the compost’s remaining nutrients.

You may manage to grow small fruit trees in containers. Apples are the least difficult, but, for different reasons, pears, peaches, cherries and plums are more challenging.

Most top fruit trees need to be cross-pollinated, so you need two varieties of apples or pears that flower at the same time. If you only have space for one fruit tree you will need to choose a variety that is self-fertile. There are only a few varieties of apple that are self-fertile and no pear varieties. But, if you have a sheltered, warm spot peach Peregrine will crop well on its own as will plum Blue Tit.

Fruit tree varieties are grafted on rootstocks to control how vigorously they grow. So, having selected a suitable variety, choose a dwarfing rootstock. For apples the smallest is M9; pears Quince C; plums, damsons and peach, Pixy or St Julien A; and cherries, Colt or Gisela 5. You will probably need to try several nurseries for the variety-rootstock match you need.

Some fruit growers have told me that very dwarfing rootstocks may not be vigorous enough to let the tree thrive. They suggest it’s better to opt for a slightly more vigorous rootstock and control growth by pruning.