How do you grow the ingredients?

Add fruit - fresh or stewed - there are so many different types to grow. More growing information is given in the next section.

Growers usually divide fruit (and nuts) into two categories - top fruit borne on trees, and soft fruit borne on canes or bushes.

Tree (or top) fruit

Apples (Malus domesticus) - grow in most of the UK. A selection of dessert apples are available from Crocus and Thompson and Morgan.

Pears (Pyrus communis) - Manchester is probably the northern limit. A selection are sold by Crocus and Thompson and Morgan.

Asian pear 'Shinseiki' - looks like an apple, tastes like a pear, and may grow where you cannot grow other pears. Sold by a few specialist nurseries including Highfield.

Figs ('Brown Turkey' and other cultivars require little work. Hardy in zones 9-10; half-hardy in zone 8 and needs lots of sun to ripen in this zone.

Black mulberries (Morus nigra) are slow to fruit (at least 6 years) but worth the wait. Hardy in zones 5-8.

Stone fruit:

Plums (Prunus domestica) and (green)gages . Hardy in zones 4-8.

Damsons (from Thompson and Morgan (hardier than plums), and bullace for culinary use, are less vigorous so better for smaller spaces. Damsons are hardy in zones 4-8; bullaces 3-8.

Apricots (Prunus armeniaca)

Peaches (Prunus persica) - hardy in zones 8-10.

Nectarines (Prunus persica var. nectarina) - hardy in zones 9-10.

Sweet cherries (Prunus avium) - you'll have to keep the birds off these! Hardy in zones 9-10.

Soft fruit

Less expensive than top fruit, producing crops sooner, and taking up less space, so ideal for smaller gardens.

Dessert gooseberries (very sweet, and often red). We have Whinham's Industry but it has very stiff hairs, so we still cook it before eating it, although there's no need for sugar. Other red desserts are Captivator (almost thornless, which is an advantage) and Xenia.

Strawberries - for a succession of fruit from May to July, grow different varieties that fruit at early, mid and late season. You could also grow perpetual (also called remontant or ever-bearing) types, which crop June-Oct (if protected from frost) - these are best grown annually from plants or seed as the yield can drop off in their second year.

a href="http://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=2283&awinaffid=83205&clickref=&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thompson-morgan.com%2Ffruit%2Ffruit-seeds%2Fall-fruit-seeds%2Fstrawberry-mignonette%2F724TM" onmouseover="self.status='http://www.thompson-morgan.com/fruit/fruit-seeds/all-fruit-seeds/strawberry-mignonette/724TM'; return true;" onmouseout="self.status=''; return true;" title="Visit, browse or buy alpine strawberry seeds from Thompson and Morgan">Alpine strawberries - usually grown from seed, crop from June-Nov, yield decreases after 2 years

Raspberries - choose a mix of summer and autumn-fruiting raspberries for a long cropping season.

Blackberries (Rubus fruticosus) and various crosses (Jostaberry, Hildaberry, Tayberry, Boysenberry).

Loganberry

Blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) - grow in pots or in the ground in lime-free soil.

Goji berries

Currants (black , red , white - birds ignore white ones)

Dessert grapes - outdoor types are hardy in zones 9-10 and sheltered spots in zone 8. More choice of varieties if you have an unheated or heated greenhouse.

Kiwi fruit (Actinidia deliciosa) - the more recent marketing name for Chinese gooseberries. Plants are male or female, so be sure to grow at least one male with your female fruiting plants. Hardy to zone 8.

This page has information on growing ingredients for muesli: dessert fruit, top fruit, tree fruit, soft fruit (apples, pears, Asian pears, figs, mulberry, apricots, peaches, nectarines, damsons, plums, greengages, bullace, cherry, gooseberry, blueberry, Goji berry, blackberry, tayberry, jostaberry, black currant, white currant, red currant, Kiwi fruit, grapes, raspberry, strawberry, alpine strawberry, perpetual/remontant/ever bearing strawberry.