Fruit trees

[Onelife]

We have a few fruit trees scattered around our garden two of which are apple trees, one being cooking and the other being eating. When we moved in just over three years ago the cooking apple tree was heavily laden with apples, but very over grown, so come the fall l gave it a hard prune to put some shape back into it..its been two years since and we still haven't had any apples, even thought we did get some blossom in spring.....have l done for it or is it just a matter of time?

As for the eating apple tree 'Christmas Pipin' which was planted just after we moved in, this hasn't fruited this year either, we did get a few ping pong ball sized apples last year but like the eating apple tree nothing this year.

The pear tree, which sits between the two apple trees is laden with pears. ...

I'm left wondering if it is just a bad year for apples....how are yours doing?

[Stephen]

Morrisons have had a good crop this year

[david63]

Apple trees, I believe, need to be cross pollinated and if you do not have the correct tree to do the pollination then nothing will happen.

[Manoverboard]

Pipins like chickens take a while to establish themselves ... getting a book about apple trees could be a plan

[Quizzical Bob]

Apple trees, I believe, need to be cross pollinated and if you do not have the correct tree to do the pollination then nothing will happen.

Yes, apples do better if they are cross pollinated and there are online lists of the different pollination groupings. We have a Tydeman’s Early Worcester that I planted when the house was new. Probably the best eating apple that there is and has been prolific this year in particular. We also have an espalier Charles Ross which suffers from being over shaded.

On the back fence there is an espalier Spartan cooker. I didn’t know anything about pollination when I bought them (I was too young) but apparently they are all in Group 3 which means that they tend to flower at the same time. Even if they are all in flower one good storm can blow away all the blossom.

Pears are a different matter. I had originally planted two Doyenne du Comice which are delicious pears but our trees were never healthy or successful so I removed them and planted a self-fertile Conference instead in a flower border. I found out later that pear trees do not do very well if planted in ground surrounded by grass which would explain the Comice failures. Oops.

[Onelife]

Apple trees, I believe, need to be cross pollinated and if you do not have the correct tree to do the pollination then nothing will happen.

Hi David…I’ve just been doing a bit of research re: our Christmas Pippin tree and it belongs to pollination group 3 which as you have implied requires another type of apple tree for successful pollination. Considering how poorly the other tree has been looking… with not much blossom this year, I think this could be reason for no Pippins for Christmas.

Thank you

P’s we also have a Damson tree which never fails to deliver an abundance of Damsons.. gin…it must be self-pollinating because it has no brothers or sisters that I know about.

[cruisin_duo]

Onelife, it sounds like you’ve got a mini orchard.

[Onelife]

Pipins like chickens take a while to establish themselves ... getting a book about apple trees could be a plan

If Pippin doesn't produce any apples next year, I’ll be wringing its neck for sure

[Manoverboard]

My old dad ' created ' an espalier Williams pear in the middle of the garden albeit just above the lawn. It was laden most but not all years. A lovely sweet and juicy pear but needs picking as soon as it ripens, they don't keep but they do bottle well.

[Onelife]

Onelife, it sounds like you’ve got a mini orchard.

Hi Cruisin…I suppose you could say that, but I have to be careful the neighbour doesn’t catch me nicking them

[JillD66]

Its a good year for our Victoria plum tree!

[Onelife]

Its a good year for our Victoria plum tree!

Yum Yum...I love plums...in fact we were only talking the other night about getting a plum tree.

Two years back we planted summer and winter raspberry canes which have produced loads of raspberries. Easy to freeze.
We also planted out a couple of thornless blackberry bushes which to date haven’t produced enough berries for my favourite apple and blackberry crumble.

[Onelife]

Talking pears our pear tree fruited the first year we were here but alas we had lots of pears but none of them seemed to rippen enough to eat....even though we left them on the windows sill for a couple of weeks. Having done a bit of research it recomended placing them in a bag with a bannana....anyway l followed the instructions by putting them into the fridge for a couple of days then into the bag with the bannana. Low an behold 5 days latter l was tucking into lovely juicy pears.

This year we invested in getting small indervidual fruit bags which protect the fruit from those pesky wasps.....We've had a few comments about this as it dose look a bit strange with net bags strewn around the tree but l take the view that pears are better in my belly than that of the wasps.

I really think there is something special when you can pick your own, whether that be fruit or vegetables or indeed eggs

[JillD66]

We saw a squirrel climb the tree and take a huge bite out of a ripe victoria plum. Just the one - but a couple of days later he ran across the garden with a green tomato. Hope he got tummy ache!

[towny44]

I really think there is something special when you can pick your own, whether that be fruit or vegetables or indeed eggs

You're beginning to display symptoms of MontyDonitis!

[Onelife]

We saw a squirrel climb the tree and take a huge bite out of a ripe victoria plum. Just the one - but a couple of days later he ran across the garden with a green tomato. Hope he got tummy ache!

Hi Jill…not that I want to see any but I haven’t seen one squirrel since we moved to the house, we are presently living in …. strange really because our lane is lined with oak trees.

[Onelife]

I really think there is something special when you can pick your own, whether that be fruit or vegetables or indeed eggs

You're beginning to display symptoms of MontyDonitis!

Can't get enough of Monty

[Manoverboard]

I really think there is something special when you can pick your own, whether that be fruit or vegetables or indeed eggs

You're beginning to display symptoms of MontyDonitis!

Can't get enough of Monty

Are you watching his two recent ( repeat ) progs about Japan, now that is proper gardening ?

[Onelife]

You're beginning to display symptoms of MontyDonitis!

Can't get enough of Monty

Are you watching his two recent ( repeat ) progs about Japan, now that is proper gardening ?

Yes, I have watched them but on You tube…I can’t at the moment remember where it was but we went to a place a few years back where they had some fantastic specimens of Bonsia one of which was one hundred years old….
Ah! Now I remember it was Birmingham Botanical gardens… we even met Sir Cliff while we were there.