Plant Growing - Growing Apples

There are three main points to consider when choosing an apple tree:

Type of Apple

eater, cooker or ornamental

Apple Varieties

Flavour, yield, ease of pollination, resistance to pest and disease and how long will it last after being picked

Tree Size

The size of the apple tree and how quickly it comes into fruiting is determined by the rootstock on which it is grown. This enables a tree to be grown in a pot, small garden, large garden and orchards. It allows for the trees to be grown in different ways depending on how it is trained.

Apple Varieties

There are many apple varieties to choose from and it is easy to be overwhelmed by the lists that can be found on a tree nursery website. After all, we only ever see a few varieties in our food shops.

An apple tree lasts for many years so it is worth taking your time over choosing the correct variety:

1. Eater or cooker (dessert or culinary), maybe dual purpose or for appearance.
2. Shelf-life – How long will they last after picking?  Early season varieties – need eating almost straight away after picking but some varieties will keep for up to 2-3 weeks. Mid-late season varieties will last for up to 2-3 months if picked at the correct time and stored correctly.
3. Resistance to diseases or pests. For instance, apple scab can be an immense problem with some varieties especially in wet summers, such as Cox and Egremont Russet. Unfortunately, there are not the fungicides available for the gardener in the UK that there used to be that would control the diseases.
4. Where do you live? The weather in your area, such as how wet or cold the growing season is will determine the varieties you can grow. Your soil type will also have an influence on your choice.
5. How big you want the tree to grow and how you want to train it will determine which rootstock you need to use. Rootstocks will be discussed in a separate section.
6. Pollination – Apples require cross-pollination from other varieties with a similar flowering period. This can be recognised in the catalogues by a number from 1 to 4 next to the variety. Varieties with the same number will pollinate each other. In most situations, you need a minimum of 2 varieties. If the variety also has triploid next to it then 3 varieties of the same flowering period will be required. This is because the triploid variety cannot fertilise another variety, therefore to ensure full fertilisation of all the trees you need three different varieties. I know it sounds complicated but the advantage of some of the triploid varieties is that they have more disease resistance. In urban areas where there may well be sufficient crab apples that will pollinate your apples.

Below are some varieties that a colleague and I have put together that you might wish to consider with an explanation of why we think they are good:

Discovery Early Season Eater Worcester Permain x Beauty of Bath first bred in 1949 General: Excellent pollinator. One of the earliest picked apples which can also be used as a cooker. Colour & flavour: Skin red and white with white flesh with pink tinges. Flavour is crisp and juicy when first picked. Picking date: Mid-August Shelf-life: Does not keep.  Not suitable for freezing Resistance to pest & disease:  Little problem with scab and powdery mildew Where to grow:  Anywhere in the UK Flowering group:  3 Pollinated by:  Very good pollinator	Grenadier Early Season Cooker Originated in Buckinghamshire in 19th Century General: Easy to grow and compact making it a lovely tree for the garden.  Good early season cooker. Colour & flavour: Cooks to a creamy puree with a bit of a bite. Ideal base for apple jam and sauce. Picking date: Mid to end  August Shelf-life:  Will last for several weeks on the tree. Does not keep once picked. Resistance to pest & disease:  fairly resistant to disease Where to grow: Anywhere in the UK Flowering group: 3 Pollinated by: Self-fertile. Good pollinator for Bramley.
Katy Early-mid Season Eater James Grieve x Worcester Pearmain Originated Sweden 1947 General:  Easy to grow. Heavy cropper. Colour & flavour: Bright red fruit with firm flesh. Sweet and juicy with a hint of acid. Not only good as an eater but also makes a good flavoured juice. Picking date: End of August to early September Shelf-life: Does not keep Resistance to pest & disease:  Fairly resistant to disease Where to grow: Anywhere in the UK Flowering group: 3 Pollinated by: Very good pollinator	Scrumptious* Early-mid Season Eater Strakspur Golden Delicious x Discovery General:  The name says it all. Superb in any UK garden. Unlike most apple varieties is it frost hardy when in flower. Colour & flavour: Bright red fruit with a thin skin. Flavour is fresh, delicate, crisp and sweet all at the same time. Once you have tasted this apple you will love it Picking date: Early-mid September. Shelf-life: Stores until October. Will keep on the tree without dropping. Resistance to pest & disease:  Disease resistance. Where to grow: Anywhere in the UK Flowering group: 3 Pollinated by: Self-fertile and is also a very good pollinator
Greensleeves Mid-Season Eater James Grieve x Golden Delicious. Kent 1966 General:  Reliable mid-season eater Colour & flavour: Pale, greenish-yellow skin and creamy flesh. Crisp and juicy with a tang to it. Picking date: Mid September. Shelf-life: Stores until October. Resistance to pest & disease:  Disease resistance. Where to grow: Anywhere in the UK Flowering group: 3 Pollinated by: Self-fertile and is also a very good pollinator	Red Windsor Mid Season Eater A sport of Alkmene, related to Cox’s Orange Pippin General:  Heavy cropper. An ideal garden variety which has some frost resistance at blossom time. Easy to grow. Suitable as a patio tree as has compact growth Colour & flavour: Red fruit with a similar flavour to Cox. Therefore firm, juicy and sweet with a tang to it. Picking date: Mid-September Shelf-life: Stores until October. Resistance to pest & disease:  Disease resistance. Where to grow: Anywhere in the UK Flowering group: 2 Pollinated by: Self-fertile and is also a very good pollinator

Red Falstaff* Mid-late Season Eater A select red sport of Falstaff. Originated in Norfolk in 1983 General:  Good for the garden as easy to grow and is frost resistant. Good storer so can be eaten well into the winter. Heavy yielder with compact habit so is also suitable for the patio Colour & flavour: Red fruit and is crisp and juicy with true apple flavour. Picking date: Early October Shelf-life: Stores until March. Resistance to pest & disease:  Disease resistance. Where to grow: Anywhere in the UK Flowering group: 2 Pollinated by: Self-fertile and is also a very good pollinator	Ribston Pippin Mid-late Season Eater Related to Cox. North Yorkshire in 18th century General:  Traditional apple flavour and growth. The growth habit does not suit small gardens. Suitable for juicing. Colour & flavour: Green with an orange-tinged skin. It is a crisp sweet flavour with a tang to it with a creamy and firm flesh. Picking date: Early October Shelf-life: Stores until January. Resistance to pest & disease:  Disease resistance. Where to grow: Anywhere in the UK. Ideal for the north. Flowering group: 2 Pollinated by: Triploid, therefore needs 2 pollinators one of which can be in group 3 if necessary.
Spartan Mid-late Season Eater McIntosh x Yellow Newton Pippin Originated Canada 1926 General:  Easy to grow. Popular variety Colour & flavour: Dark red skin with white flesh. Sweet, crisp and juicy Picking date: Early October Shelf-life: Stores until January. Resistance to pest & disease:  Disease resistance. Where to grow: Anywhere in the UK. Flowering group: 3 Pollinated by: Very good pollinator	Bramley's Seedling Late Season Cooker Nottingham  19th Century General:  Heavy cropper Colour & flavour: Green skin with white flesh and excellent cooker with strong apple flavour. Picking date: Early October Shelf-life: Stores until March. Resistance to pest & disease:  Disease resistance. Where to grow: Anywhere in the UK. Flowering group: 3 Pollinated by: Triploid. Requires two pollinators (not of Bramley heritage)
Bramley 20 Late Season Cooker Compact version of Bramley’s Seedling, Bristol 1970 General:  Ideal for the garden. Less vigorous than other Bramley’s but still with heavy yields Colour & flavour: Has the same flavour and texture as Bramley’s Seedling Picking date: Early October Shelf-life: Stores until March. Resistance to pest & disease:  Disease resistance. Where to grow: Anywhere in the UK. Flowering group: 3 Pollinated by: Triploid, Requires 2 pollinators (not of Bramley heritage)	Egremont Russet Late Season Eater Originated Sussex 19th Century General:  The most common russet variety in the UK. Colour & flavour: The skin is light green and the flesh is yellow creamy colour and firm. It is sweet with a distinctive rich nutty flavour Picking date: Early October Shelf-life: Stores until December. Resistance to pest & disease:  Can be vulnerable to mildew and scab Where to grow: Anywhere in the UK. Flowering group: 2 Pollinated by: Very good pollinator
Fiesta Late Season Eater Cox’s Orange Pippin x Idared, Kent 1972 General:  Excellent garden variety similar to Cox and much easier to grow. Suitable for patio growing. Colour & flavour: Light green with orange tinges. Crisp texture with a rich and sweet flavour. Picking date: Early October Shelf-life: Stores until January. Resistance to pest & disease:  Disease resistance Where to grow: Anywhere in the UK. Very good for northern areas Flowering group: 3 Pollinated by: Very good pollinator	Hereford Russet* Late Season Eater Cox’s Orange Pippin x Idared, Hugh Ermen 2002 General:  Excellent garden variety similar to Cox and much easier to grow with a russet type skin. Suitable for patio growing. Colour & flavour: Light green with orange tinges. Crisp texture with a rich and sweet flavour. Picking date: Early October Shelf-life: Stores until January. Resistance to pest & disease:  Disease resistance Where to grow: Anywhere in the UK. Very good for northern areas Flowering group: 3 Pollinated by: Very good pollinator

Suppliers of Apple Trees

There are many good growers of fruit trees and one of the well-known growers and suppliers to both the commercial growers and to the retail trade is F P Mathews who grow over half a million fruit and ornamental trees a year. They do not supply direct to a gardener but if you look on their website you can find out where you can buy their product. Just go to www.frankpmatthews.com for your nearest stockist in the garden centre or nursery plus a list of online stores.

There are many other good growers such as Blackmoor Nursery who grow fruit trees and soft fruit. They also have commercial orchards.

Wherever you buy from ensure they have a guarantee.

Rootstocks

When purchasing a tree make sure it is on a rootstock suitable for your garden and situation. Rootstocks have been developed so that the apple tree will grow to the requirements of the grower and gardener.  See Rootstock section below to give you an idea of what to look for.

Planting

FP Matthews has an extremely good section on how to plant a tree in the ground or container. How to plant

I would also recommend adding Rootgrow into the planting hole. Rootgrow contains mycorrhizal fungi which help root development. Rootgrow can be purchased from our shop.

Rootstocks

Traditionally before there were rootstocks the apple trees would grow to an extremely large size. Apple rootstocks were developed so that trees could be grown for all different situations Apple rootstocks are important as they determine the size of the tree. The young wood of the cropping apple is grafted onto the rootstock, usually just above the ground level, in the tree nursery.

Crab apples are sometimes grown on malus seedlings whereby very large trees are required such as in parks, but generally, they are not suitable for gardens, therefore ensure they are grown on a rootstock as for other apple trees.

In some situations, it may be desirable to keep the roots from spreading and Rootex bags are very effective means of control. See Root control with Rootex

When buying an apple tree it will always tell you which rootstock it is grown on. Below are the most common ones to consider and where they might be used: