Welcome to Welsh Fruit Stocks
Welsh Fruit Stocks is an integral part of a livestock rearing farm on the Welsh Borders, situated at an altitude of around 1000 feet in the Radnorshire hills of east Wales.
The origins of this family run farm began in the early 1960s supplying local Herefordshire blackcurrant growers with bushes to plant for Ribena for juice production. This developed to supplying them with cuttings for planting. By the 1980s the scope was increased to include the propagation and sale of a complete range of soft fruit, with many different varieties to cover harvest/picking date and resistance to disease, and all meeting annual PHPS (now FPCS) standard inspections. For a 20 year period we grew raspberry canes, strawberry plants, red, white, blackcurrant and gooseberry bushes and rhubarb. These were grown to organic standards supplying PYO garden centres and commercial growers.
We have moved from that to growing less cultivars but still specialising in producing the blackcurrant cuttings with both the old and the newest varieties. Other soft fruit cutting material is still available for sale direct or grown on to order. Our roots are still firmly in the biological method of production which goes in hand with the organic means to reduce and maintain soil stress.
Being on the edge of several different habitats - heather moorland, ancient woodland, traditional grassland and small areas of wetland - the biodiversity here is unique. We have recorded over 50 species of birds, from redstarts to red kites, and we have a very diverse flora too.
We have a team of local, skilled people who work with the plants all year round. It is their dedication, in all weathers, together with careful day-to-day management, that ensures the high quality of our plants. Throughout the growing season we rely on hand hoeing, weeding and cultivation to keep the crops clean and to reduce the stress on the plants. Through the autumn, winter and spring, the plants are cut down, made into cuttings and carefully graded ready for despatch.