Apple Trees

Apples
The key to growing an apple tree in your garden is to pick one which will grow to the correct size and produce fruit with the taste to suit you.

It's quite possible to end up with an apple tree of huge proportions in a small garden producing fruit which you don't like.

GardenAction will clearly and accurately take you through the apple tree maize and ensure that you end up with the correct tree.

APPLE TREE QUICK GUIDE

Folklore
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Latin Name
Malus pumila

Type
Hardy deciduous tree - productive life of 40+ years.

Site and Soil
Tolerant of most soil conditions (see main article for details)

Plant to Harvest Time
3 years for smaller trees, 5 years for larger trees.

How Many Apples?
Smaller trees 15kg (33lbs), larger trees 30kg (65lbs).

It's well worth reading this article, because the correct trees will be productive for several decades and produce enough delicious apples to last you from midSeptember to March.

Brief Apple History
Picture of the apple variety Fuji The Crab-tree or Wild Apple Tree (Pyrus malus), is key to the history of apples. It is a native to Britain and is the ancestor of all the cultivated varieties of apple trees we grow today. It was the rootstock on which new varieties were grafted when brought from Europe.

The Apple tree is from the temperate zones and flourishes best in their cooler regions. It is a tree which has been cultivated from before the Norman Conquest. It has spread in its wild state in most countries of Europe and as far as the Caucasus. In Norway, it is found in the lowlands as far north as Drontheim.

How To Choose Your Apple Tree
Before rushing out to buy your first apple tree, consider what size (height and spread) will suit your garden best. The size and vigour of the tree is determined by the rootstock (the lower part of the tree onto which is grafted different varieties). Read the section on rootstocks carefully and compare the chart of final tree sizes to see which rootstock is best suited to your garden.

Second thoughts must go to the taste of the apples - do you want a desert type or a much more acidic cooking apple for apple pie type dishes? Do you like your dessert apples crisp or soft, mild and sweet or more acidic and full-tasting. Do you want your fruit to last well into the spring - the combinations are almost endless. Consult the section on varieties which will give lots of detail and pictures.

Finally, you need to consider pollination - most apple trees are self-sterile and require the pollen from other apple trees in order to produce fruit. See the section on pollination for advice and guidance.

Apple trees are normally sold as either one or two year old plants - there is little to choose between the two, although a two year old tree will produce fruit sooner after planting. Both bare-rooted and potted examples are commonly available - if you do not intend to plant immediately, it is best to go for a potted plant because it is easier to keep the tree until planted.

Having taken the above points into consideration, you will be ready to venture out to your local nursery and purchase an apple tree which in all probability will outlive you!

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