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Choosing fruit trees that crop regularly and produce fruit of good flavour
Posted by on February 20, 2012
Doctor Harvey cooking apple
Here are some preliminary notes on choosing fruit trees that crop regularly and produce fruit of good flavour.
There are different requirements to take in consideration to achieve early and regular cropping:
1) Weather
2) Site
3) Soil
4) Pollination needs
5) Variety characteristics
6) Disease resistance
7) Rootstock
There are no apple varieties which can tick all the boxes. Knowledge of the weather patterns in the various areas of the UK is therefore essential, in order to plant the right varieties. However there are varieties which I would give a treble A rating, when it comes to making up trios of apple varieties. Groups of three varieties are best as several varieties need good cross pollination. Without this, even excellent varieties will still perform. The ones I am going to single out all have fruits of excellent eating or cooking qualities. Secondly these varieties also excel in producing fruits of long keeping qualities.
However the right combination of these varieties needs to be made, according to the site and soil available in the different counties. Having said all this, I would put the following varieties at the top of my list. Anyone considering planting some apples should include at least two of these varieties, suitable to the area where you live.
Dessert apples:
Adams Pearmain
Claygate Pearmain
Lord Lambourne
Suntan
Egremont Russet
Sunset
Braeburn
Fiesta
Cooking apples:
Edward VII
Annie Elisabeth
Lane Prince Albert
Duke of Devonshire
Bramley’s Seedling
Doctor Harvey
Dual purpose apples:
James Grieve
Blenheim Orange
Norfolk Beefing
Kidd’s Orange Red
Posted by on February 13, 2012
Kidd's Orange Red
Kidd’s Orange Red was originally raised in New Zealand. It is a crisp juicy apple, but it needs a lot of warmth and sun to ripen properly. It is a triploid. That means it will need two diploid pollinators. As Cox’s Orange Pippin is one of the parents, its flavour is excellent. It is a regular cropper and shows an attractive red colour when mature. It is a good keeping apple. Picking time is early October and, provided it is kept in a cool place, it will keep until January. A great asset is that it is resistant to scab. It is therefore a good apple for the wetter counties in the South of England. Follow this link to order this tree.
The cooking apple Doctor Harvey
Posted by on February 7, 2012
Doctor Harvey cooking apple
If there is one cooking apple which I took to very much in my younger days it is this apple. In the late Fifties we had a small orchard in East Suffolk. The village was quite isolated in the depth of rural Suffolk. At that time close to us lived a wheelright, well in his eighties. He had an ancient workshop full of magnificent old tools. He never had electricity or running water. Just his own pond on the side of his garden. Next to this pond was a very old cooking apple tree, Doctor Harvey. During the winter months he would bake these apples. This was his sweet and it would keep for a week, without the use of a fridge, which he never had the use of. I saw a lot of him during the winter months as the land work was restricted to the short daylight hours. In the evening, by the light of an oil lamp, we would enjoy eating this apple together during the cold winter months right up to the end of March. He was a bachelor all his life and was very dedicated to keep this old tree in good condition as long as he lived. He passed on to me what he knew about the history of this apple. According to him this variety was already well known for many years in Suffolk and its origin was in Cambridgeshire. In that county Doctor Harvey was a master of Trinity Hall. Gabriel Harvey owned an estate at around 1630, in which the tree had been bearing fruit for many years. It is therefore one of the oldest known English cooking/baking apples. It is a regular bearer of good sized fruit, totally green in colour. Best harvested in late October. It has a very good shelf life and as all apples do it will become sweeter as the days go by. Nowadays with the aid of a fridge or a cold store, it will retain its original flavour much longer when stored at 3 degrees Celsius. A most wonderful baking/cooking apple. Delicious apple pies as I remember it well. Definitely worth planting particularly on rootstock MM106.
The British cooking apple
Posted by on February 3, 2012
Bramley's Seedling
The value of cooking apples is greatly underestimated. There is no dispute that by and large we do appreciate the specific flavours of the traditional eating apples. There is always a place to be found in the garden, however large or small, for a good eating apple, particularly if it has, apart from a good flavour, good keeping qualities. Due to mass production and the fact that it may have been transported from far and wide, the flavour of supermarket fruit is always suspect. It is good to see that many people have started to plant young fruit trees in their own gardens.
But what about cooking apples? At this time of the year, during all the cold winter months, over the centuries it has been recognized by many chefs and people who love to cook, that the sharpness of a good cooking apple makes a great addition for various dishes, warm or cold, which otherwise would be too sweet on their own. Years gone by, cooking apples were transported from all over the country to London, as their taste and flavour were greatly appreciated by top London restaurants. Take for example Norfolk Beefing, a splendid flavoursome apple: the price paid for these apples was the highest during the winter months. Then there is Dr. Harvey, a long-lasting good winter cooking apple from Suffolk. In fact many counties championed their own cooking apple as the best of the lot. I will be writing about a a fair number of cooking apples, which all are splendid, each in its own way. Of course, Bramley is well known and is in no danger of fading away. However it is a real pity that supermarket culture has led us to believe that a good cooking apple needs to be green. This is way off the mark, as many excellent cooking apples are coloured. Even Bramley! The real Suffolk Bramley has a good deal of colour on its cheeks.
When you think of planting some apple trees in your garden, do give some thought to planting a good cooking apple that keeps well. It will be particularly useful to you during the winter months. I can recommend the following from experience:
Annie Elizabeth
Arthur Turner
Bramley’s Seedling
Bountiful
Dr. Harvey
Dumelow’s Seedling
Edward VII
Howgate Wonder
Lane Prince Albert
Newton Wonder
Norfolk Beefing
Sops in Wine
It is as well to order these varieties in advance, as numbers available are limited.
The cordon system of tree training
Posted by on November 9, 2011
Where space is limited, most apples and some pear varieties are suitable to be trained as cordons. A cordon is a tree planted at an angle of 45 degrees, supported and trained along a fence or a wall. Along the wall or fence, horizontal wires are positioned at a height of two, four and six feet. A six-foot bamboo cane is fastened to the wires at a 45-degree angle, at two-foot intervals. These trees are based on the maintenance and supply of short laterals along the main stem of the tree. The first laterals should be in place at approximately 40 cm above soil level. It is essential that the union of the tree is 1.5 to 2 inches above the soil level. For very deep and fertile soils, the M9 rootstock is suitable. However for most situations, M26 is the best rootstock for a cordon tree. On very hungry soils, it might be possible to use the stronger stock MM106 to good effect.
Plant the trees 60 cm apart after having made very sure the soil does not lay wet during the winter or summer months. If drainage is faulty, the trees will suffer badly from tree canker. As a result, the life of the tree is short and the fruit will have a short shelf life. It is also essential that the soil is well prepared in advance, during September and October, while the soil is still warm and friable. Dig over, for each tree, an area of at least 60 x 60 cm. Before you add the essential organic matter such as well rotted farmyard manure to the soil, make sure that the subsoil is well loosened with a rigid tine fork, so that water can always drain away quickly. Tree roots need lots of oxygen and where water is standing around the roots, oxygen is not available. The trees literally suffocate, if this is not corrected!
Summer pruning is essential to ensure that the tree stays within the limited space available.
Pruning must not be carried out during the late autumn or winter months. The cordon tree performs best when pruned during the summer months. The first pruning should be performed by the middle of July in the south of England. For the middle and north of England, start pruning seven to ten days later. Cut all the newly-formed shoots back to five leaves lengths. One newly-formed shoot per growth point is enough. When doubles occur, bring them back to single shoots. By the middle of September, cut the same shoots back to three-leaf lengths. As sub-laterals are formed in later years, cut these back to one leaf lengths. The aim is to create strong fruit buds on two to three-year old wood, as well as spurs. These well-budded-up lengths of wood can be up to nine inches long. Leave these lengths of wood intact as fruit buds will have formed along these two-year old shoots. Some varieties will produce fruit on one-year old wood. All the same, in order not to exhaust the trees, it is best to halve these shoots by the first week of June. Thin the fruits to one fruit per cluster. The fruits will have to be spaced six inches apart to form good-sized fruits.
When the cordon has reached the top wire, it is important to make sure that all new growth does not occur at the top of the tree only. To that effect, lower the complete cordon, initially to a 40-degree angle. In later years, it is possible to lower it to the final angle of 35 degrees. As the trees become older, thin out the fruit spurs and encourage new replacement wood to form in its place.
The cordon system
Please note that the diagonal ochre posts are in fact 1.80 metre lengths of bamboo canes. The trees need to be tied to these canes, firstly because it is essential to maintain the 45 degree angle. This can later be lowered to 35 degrees, if growth is unevenly spread over the total length of the tree. The bamboo canes are also used because trees tied to wire are at risk, because the trees can very easily grow into the wire, which can cause severe damage to the trees, resulting in canker and branch breakages. In addition, it is important that the union of the trees is at least 4 cm above soil level.
Growing and training Apricots
Posted by on November 3, 2011
The apricot that we have grown
Talking from practical experience, as well as from our own current garden Apricot;
1) It is a great delight to grow it and look after it. It is a very amenable type of fruit and easy to grow.
2) It has to be on a South-facing wall, and the planting hole needs to be thoroughly prepared. Use John Innes tree planting compost and make sure the tree is not subject to a leak in the a gutter.
3) Use large-size shelf brackets above the apricot tree and construct a wooden shelf. Use this to fasten a double layer of fleece each year around the second week of February. Cover at that moment the entire tree, and make sure the wind cannot blow it off at any time. It has to stay in position until the end of May. Lift the fleece during the day only, when the tree is in flower, sp that pollinating insects can carry out their work. All this is necessary because the Apricot is very sensitive to frost. In addition, until leaf starts to develop, it is sensitive to “peach leaf curl” and bacterial canker. The great thing about apricot growing is that you do not need to use any chemicals, if you protect the tree as outlined above.
4) The tree loves organic matter around its base, but not touching the trunk. It hates the grass around its base, so mulch the tree well, to keep grass and weeds away from it.
5) Never let the tree struggle for moisture, and thin the young fruitlets when the size of a large pea, spacing them to at least 4 to 5 inches apart.
6) It will need a space of approx. 6 to 7 metre wall length. This length can be shorter, but in this case, more summer pruning is necessary. NEVER prune it during the winter months, but always when there is a full canopy of leaves. Pick the fruit when turning yellow in August. At this stage, flavour will have developed well.
Leaves and fruit of our apricot
Apricot Fan Training process
February/March of the first year
Start with 2 side branches
Cut these back by about 2 inches. Remove all other growth. (March)
Promote strong growth. (Water, nutrients, warmth).
Seal all fresh pruning cuts with “Heal and Seal” compound. (This protects against bacterial canker)
Late September
Select 2 shoots on either side
Tie in with bamboo canes at 45 degree angles
Cut the original side branches and the extra 4, back by about a third of their length,
Continue to feed well (slow release fertiliser, Osmacote or the equivalent)
February/March of the second year
Select the final 2 branches,
Carry out the same procedure as in the first year
From then onwards
After cropping, cut out the wood that carried a crop (i.e. in August). Tie in new canes to replace the wood that carried fruit.
Apricot crops best on younger wood.
Never prune plums, cherries, apricots, peach and nectarine during the winter months but ALWAYS as soon as you have picked the crop. This helps to avoid disease from developing.
Detail of the leaves and fruit
The ripening process of pears
Posted by on October 11, 2011
Pears ripening in the fruit bowl - after a few days at the bottom of the fridge
When one goes to the supermarket and buys some pears, usually the pears are still firm and even hard depending on the variety. What is not generally known is that a lot has been done already, before these pears were offered for sale, to make sure that the pears will ripen properly when taken home. To start off with, there many different pear varieties. Basically there are some pear varieties which have to be picked earlier than others. Take, for example, Williams pears or Beth pears: by nature these are the earliest to mature. Now these pears will have to be picked when they are not fully mature. If they are left to ripen on the trees, usually the juiciness and flavour is disappointing. Then there are late maturing pears which in this country fail to mature on the trees. So, in order not to complicate the issue further, what is the best practice for someone who has a couple of pear trees and a good crop, and would like to have the pleasure of eating a wonderful juicy pear, grown in their own garden? In addition, for pears grown in a garden, it’s nice to be able to spread their maturing out, as it would be impossible to eat them all in one go.
The answer to these questions may come as a surprise. First, you can control pear ripening by picking them when they are still hard and then keeping them in the fridge. Keeping them in the refrigerator for a few days actually improves their ripening when you take them out.
So this is the process: pick the pears when they are ready but still hard. How do you know when to start picking? Assuming you have watered your trees weekly and good fruit size has been achieved, then the following test is useful; lift the pear gently and when it comes away naturally, the stalk breaking easily, then the optimum picking time has been reached. When picking, do make sure that the pears are handled like eggs. Any bruising translates into early rotting. Then put the pears into the bottom of the fridge without delay. Keeping them in the dark for several days at a temperature close to 1 degree Celsius ensures even fruit ripening later on. From then on, you can take two or three pears out of the fridge and leave the others in the fridge. The ones left in the fridge stay hard, while the ones put in the fruit bowl in the living room will start to soften quite quickly. Feel the fruit near the stalk end and press gently to see how soft it is. If it has softened at that particular spot, the pear is ready to eat.
Stepover trees
Posted by on August 31, 2011
Stepover tree
There are certain apple varieties which can be used to plant along the edge of a bed, or next to a path. The trunk of the apple tree runs horizontally at something like 8 inches above soil level. The formation of this tree form can be done in various ways. However the most important requirement is that the formation pruning is never carried out during the winter months when the trees are dormant. Various stages of summer pruning are carried out, in order to encourage formation of fruit buds all along the main stem. Secondly, ideally, moderate new growth needs to occur along the whole length of the stem. Depending on the soil depth and soil quality, the rootstock suitable for these types of trees are M9 and M26. Tip bearing varieties are not suitable, nor are very vigorous varieties. Spur type varieties are the most useful ones to use for this type of tree.
Good results have been achieved by the use of the following varieties: James Grieve, Katy, Greensleeves, Egremont Russet, Lord Lambourne, Ellisons Orange, Sunset, Pixie, Red Pippin, Red Falstaff and Royal Gala.
Ideally the two newly-formed main branches should be of the same thickness and the same length. This can be achieved by pruning the tree back, after it has been planted, at a height of approx. 10 inches. Of the new growth appearing in the early summer months, two shoots running parallel with the edge of the bed, need to be selected and the remaining shoots rubbed out, early during the growing season, early in June. These two shoots should be left to grow, uncut, but gradually lowered to a final horizontal position by the end of September.
The following season one will see new growth appearing all along the horizontal branches. It is very important to pinch out the growing tips of the newly forming shoots as soon as 6 inches of length has been established. By the middle of July these shoots are cut back again to 4 inches. New growth will occur again. The shoots are now cut back again, by the middle of September to 2 inches in length. All being well, fruit buds have now been formed along the base of the main horizontal stem.
The trick is to make sure these fruit buds set fruit the following season. This can be achieved by making sure good cross pollination occurs every new season. For that reason two compatible diploid varieties need to be planted The stepover trees should be planted approximately 5 to 6 feet apart, depending on the quality of the soil and the rootstock used.
There is another method of growing stepover trees. I have often seen heavily laden mature fruit trees that have been blown over by strong gales, level to the ground. As long as 10% of the roots are still undamaged, these trees may start a new life, with the trunk actually lying on the ground. This knowledge can be used with good effect for the construction of stepover trees. As long as trees are well watered and fed, sizeable containers can be used, from which two young maiden trees can be planted, WITHOUT HAVING TO CUT BACK THE TREES. It is essential that these containers have large sized drainage holes from which new roots can find their way into the soil. Often the new shoot growth occurring along the full length of these trees, is easier to control, compared with the treatment of the trees as outlined above.
The development of stepover trees
James Grieve
Posted by on August 24, 2011
James Grieve
An amazingly reliable old fashioned real flavoured apple, which I have grown for over fifty years. It is an apple which never lets you down, whatever the weather conditions. You can eat it, cook it and store it for a while. A typical multipurpose summer/early autumn apple. It has a soft texture and tends to be a more greeny coloured apple. It goes beautifully with custard and is then truly delicious. It is an excellent pollinator and suitable to be planted throughout the UK.
Howgate Wonder
Posted by on August 24, 2011
Howgate Wonder
In my view an under-rated long-keeping cooking apple. It is also a good pollinator for Bramley. The flavour of Howgate Wonder is not outstanding. However it has so many other qualities from the reliability and disease-resistant point of view, that most people love to have this variety in their garden. It keeps for a very long time and makes wonderful sized fruit. It lacks the acidity of the Bramley, but makes up this shortcoming in many other ways. It does not need sugar added and therefore it is very suitable for diabetics. Make sure that during the summer months it does not go short of water. Most suitable variety for water retentive soils anywhere in the UK.
