It's all about fathers this Sunday and not all dads are into ties, tools and sports equipment. They are surprisingly great barbecue chefs and many are becoming fairly avid gardeners too.
Today, one challenge for gardeners can be small space living. Container gardening on the patio is more often the order of the day. Fortunately, food gardening has adapted nicely to small spaces with great results.
Blueberries, like evergreen 'Sunshine Blue', 'Top Hat' and the new 'Summer Breeze' (a combination of three varieties grown together) are fun, delicious and can be grown successfully in a container.
After a big panic run on the new raspberry, called 'Raspberry Shortcake', there now seems to be ample supply in most garden stores and just in time for gifting for Father's Day. It's a thornless, tasty dwarf raspberry that produces most of the summer and can be planted in a container or in the ground.
Espaliered fruit trees are the new wave of small space trees that can be grown either against a fence or can be the fence. They produce delicious apples, pears and Asian pears. There are also naturally occurring genetic dwarf peaches and nectarines that can be grown on patios and under cover as well.
For more immediate enjoyment, container-grown strawberries and tomatoes are very popular today. Everbearing strawberries are usually grown in hanging baskets and can be enjoyed now and all summer. 'Tumbler' and 'Tumbling Tom' tomatoes are sweet, taste great and fit nicely in pots or baskets.
If Dad is into bragging rights, the new grafted tomatoes are very hot this year. They have great vigour, disease resistance and are now grown on an outdoor rootstock called 'Supernatural'. They can almost double production. Wonderful old heirloom varieties organically grown on these new rootstocks are available as well for that old fashioned flavour.
Don't forget that herb gardens and lettuce collections also make welcome gifts to spice up any summer barbecue.
These are all great gift ideas for Dad. Some he can enjoy now and for years to come.
