Kay wrote:
In article , gasdoctor
writes

Im moving to a new house in a village with a smallish garden.

I want to grow fruit as I like trees and it sounds rewarding etc

I figure on apple but which is gowing to be the easiest etc for a
newbie. Obviously oranges may not be realistic

Apples don't pollinate themselves - you need two varieties which
flower at the same time. Or a 'family tree' which has two varieties
grafted on to the same rootstock, but you won't get such a choice.

Same applies to pears.

I'm in the plum camp: sometimes you can get a decent apple in the
shops, but I don't think I've ever bought a good plum. Not only not
Victoria (though years ago I had an excellent one in Reading, and one
in West Wales didn't perform too badly) but also beware greengages:
they need the best condtions, too.

But on family trees. Can we have a little discussion, please? I've
always fought shy of the idea, as it seems to me you'll never get
three varieties whose vigour matches precisely, so you may end up
with a rather lop-sided tree on which one variety dominates. Is this
wrong?

Mike.