Orchard planning - variety advice?

[Peasgood]

I wouldn't say Cox was particularly difficult to grow. If that is what you want you should go for it, not to say Red Pippin are not a bad choice. (We sell ours as Red Pippin, I thought Fiesta was the old name)

[agg221]

Wonder what your thoughts are on the Red Pippin or Fiesta as I think it's now more commonly known!

 

I'm a big fan of Cox to eat but was gutted to find that it's one of the most difficult apples to grow so I planted a Fiesta in preference last winter. It's done so well this year that it'll need a bit of trimming and I'm tempted to try a few grafts on to young crab apple next spring/late winter.

 

Certainly will have a look at the Jupiter now as well.

 

I haven't had Fiesta for years! The fruit farm down the road from us where I grew up used to grow it (part of their pick your own) and as I recall it was perfectly decent but I don't recall it as being outstanding. Grafting onto crab stock should work fine (I use strips of polythene as binding) but it will give you big trees which will take a long time to crop.

 

Alec

[sandspider]

Thanks for the follow up Alec.

 

Planning is coming on well, just need to find the time to finish selecting varieties and get them ordered and planted. And fenced!

[SteveA]

Speak to Paul Davies at Dolau hiron, he specializes in friut that grows well in Wales.

Dolau-hirion Fruit Trees

 

Hi SlackMaGirdle, on the back of your recommendation we collected a bunch of very lovely looking fruity trees from Paul today at Dolau-hirion Fruit Trees They are pot grown and very well grown, and a good size ....they just about fitted in the xtrail.

 

Here's what we ordered....

 

cheers, Steve

[sandspider]

Just to update this, the orchard order has now been made, from Adam's Apples. Had to reduce the number of trees to 12 in the end due to space. Also couldn't order the pear species I wanted as they were out of stock. So this is what I've gone for in the end:

 

1. Ashmeads Kernel - Apple Tree 2 year old MM106

2. Lord Lambourne - Apple Tree MM106

3. Fortune - Dessert Apple Tree 2 year old MM106

4. Winston - Apple Tree 2 year old MM106

5. James Grieve - Cooking Apple Tree 2yr MM106

6. Victoria Plum - 2 year old

7. Stella Cherry - 2 year old Colt

8. Brunswick -Fig Tree

9. Blueberry garden varieties 3 years old Earliblue

10. Conference Pear - 2 year old - Pear Tree

 

Will probably add to these in future with luck, but it's a start at least. Thanks for the help.

[spandit]

No medlar?

 

We've also planted a Chinese dogwood and some seaberry - all edible and the dogwood at least is fairly unusual. Not had any fruit from them yet but it's early days as they went in very small

[codlasher]

Draw a map to scale & label what & where each tree is planted coz you'll forget in a decade...... My wife & I argue over the trees we planted and she's remembered her Suffolk pink is really a Naarfik something-else.

codlasher

[timbernut]

Sound advice, I planted 12 trees a few years ago and the only ones I can remember are a quince, a medlar and a russet!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

[sandspider]

Thanks chaps, good point.

 

And maybe medlars and nut trees in the future, maybe a crab apple or two for pollination... See how we go!

[spandit]

Crab apples are also good for pectin if you're going to be making jam