Which fruit tree ?

[joji]

Well we are going to get a fruit tree next week. This will be the first thing we will be puttingin our plot. Don't really know what to get though. We all like cherries. We all like plumbs. 2 of us like eating apples. I wouldn't mind a bramley apple tree. 2 of us like pears. Might try and tell OH we need more than 1 tree ;D

what would you guys recomend for :-

Plums
apples
pears
cherrys

Would love your advice on varietes please. ;)

[joji]

[Robert_Brenchley]

Pears and apples will store well if you pick the right variety. Cherries and plums won't. It might be worth considering. It's hard to preserve cherries from the birds long enough to get to eat them yourself.

[sandersj89]

I have a real soft spot for plums. Eaten fresh from the tree they are great and plenty of ways to cook with them. They also freeze well.

Jerry

[jennym]

Plum - Early Laxton for July, Victoria for late August.
Cherries - don't bother the birds will get them as Robert says.
Pear - Concorde - get two
Apple - look at Buckingham nurseries website with lots of good info, then choose.

[joji]

Thanks everyone. Will be careful what we get. will let you know. :)

[Wicker]

Just a word about cherries which are my favourite of the fruits I grow - I have trained mine as a fan against the high lottie fence which also has a stone wall behind it.  I know the crops aren't so big but at least I do get to eat them not the birds as I tie fleece over it and have found that really does keeop the birds off - may not bepractical for everyone but where there's a will ...........

[blight]

try a quince.
spectacular blossoms, attractive fruit, georgeous scent. jellies...

[djbrenton]

My best advice is not to get what everyone else has. Pears, appleas and plums can be had for the asking on our site, so I'm going for medlar, filbert, cherry and maybe greengage.

[vee]

I'm also thinking of getting a plum (Victoria) and an apple, but don't know which apple to choose. I've only room for one and my husband loves coxes, but I've heard they are not easy to grow well. What is similar? There is a James Grieve about two plots away that could pollinate any tree I got or would that be too far away? Any advice would be very welcome.

[Tulipa]

Echoing what Vee has said. look at pollination when you choose your tree, if you go for apple make sure you have a suitable apple tree nearby for cross pollination. 

I shall be spending my weekend picking the last of my apples. I love this time of year. :)

[joji]

Thanks for all the info. Everyone. It is a great help  :)

[aquilegia]

I would love to be able to plant an orchard!

I would get several different apple varieties - how about going along to an Apple Day? Or have we missed all those? I try to get local, old varieties.

Pears - conference are self-fertile, so you only need one tree.

[Tulipa]

Aqui, you would love my garden, I have seven very old apple trees from where the garden used to be part of an orchard.  You can see the apples in rows in the gardens around us too.  The apples are still good and I have lots to pick this weekend.  I have no idea what kind they are but we enjoy them anyway.  One day I shall get them identified.

There is a 'Harvest Day' near here this weekend so I am sure the apple days are still to come - 21st October is the recognised date I think.

[Merry Tiller]

Plum = Opal = very good

[aquilegia]

Tulippa - it sounds devine!

My mum has a little orchard of two bramleys, a conference pear and a plum (which the birds eat most of), but even that's not enough for me!

When I get my acre, it'll be the first thing I plan!

[Viks]

Our local apple day is Oct 30th and at this one you can bring along apples from your own trees and get some experts to identify them. We have three unnamed apple trees which I am hoping someone will tell me what they are.

[kentishchloe]

Apple festivals all over country on 22nd & 23rd oct, there are fantastic ones at Kew, RHS gardens, Brogdale and most regions will do something.
Joji - you might want to think about holding fire on buying the trees until late nov/ early dec as by then you can buy bareroot trees which usually cost about half the price of container grown varieties and they establish very well.

Email wisley to ask for a copy of their fruit list which will give you a good idea of what's available, pollination groups etc:  http://www.rhs.org.uk/WhatsOn/gardens/shopping/wisleyplantcentreemail.asp
fill in the form & you're away!

[joji]

Thanks so much everyone.  :)


I have e-mailed them kentishchloe so I just got to wait now. That was very nice of you. ;)

[kentishchloe]

it's my pleasure joji. i'm just glad i'm not the one who has to heel in all of wisley's bareroot fruit this year :)

[Robert_Brenchley]

Bare-root trees establish better than conainer plants. I haven't been happy with container trees at all.