Plant a tree and you get a wonderful sense of achievement. Perhaps it’s because we have it drummed into us from an early age that trees are the world’s lungs and we won’t survive without them, or maybe it’s because when you’re done you can already see the results, and they’re usually four feet high (you don’t get that with seeds). I don’t know. But either way it makes you feel good about yourself, and that’s half the fun of gardening.

So today we were planting four trees around the plot and borders. Dwarf Cherry Stella and Apricot Flavorcot in pots, and two apple trees in soil: a crab apple in the back for making jelly, and an eating apple in the front.

In an ideal world, the two potted trees needed 60cm tubs in which to grow, but they are still small and so we settled on a couple of 55cm terracotta pots at £11 each from the local DIY store. They already look good, and will look even better when they’ve started to age. That should give them plenty of years’ growth before things start to get tight.

We put pieces of broken crock in the bottom for drainage and to stop the soil coming straight out of the bottom, and then shovelled in compost up to the half way mark. Creating a small hollow in this, we lowered in the trees’ roots and topped up to the rim, then pressed down firmly.

Whenever you plant a new plant, or transplant one as we’re doing here, it’s important to make sure the root system is well embedded in the soil, and the easiest way to do that is to give them a good drink. This is doubly important with trees, as they are often shipped with a plastic bag tied around an almost naked root ball, which will have started to dry out in transit. So, we gave each one a can-full from the water butt and then moved on to the trees destined for the borders.

These were both cheaper to plant and far easier. Making sure we kept them away from the house or any other walls, we dug a hole around twice the depth of the roots and dropped them in. These trees will take their nutrients from the soil, so we didn’t use any compost, but we will water them from time to time with fruit fertiliser to give them a helping hand. This means that the growing costs, once the trees had been bought, are effectively nil, as we didn’t have to pay for any pots either.

Now all we need do is wait. The crab apple already has blossom at the end of each branch, and there is a single bud on both the cherry and apricot trees, but we’re not expecting any great crops this year. The rest of 2008 will probably be spent with them bedding in, strengthening up, and getting used to their new homes. Next year, perhaps, we can expect to eat our first fruit.