The message
from classixuk contains these words:
Hi everyone,
This is my first post on the forum and I'd like to tell you about my
wonderful apple tree that I grew by mistake and hopefully gain some
advice on how to look after it.
\snip\

I'm sure you will receive advice from many who know more about fruit
growing than me but from my experiences I think you are lucky to have
apples so soon from a discarded core. My brother and I once had a
competition to see who could grow the best apple tree from a pip. It
took about ten years before either of us managed any apples at all and
around fifteen years to get full production!

When sowing from seed you will get a tree that is of mixed parentage;
apples (they say) never come true from seed. This makes it very
exciting when you take your first bite - you don't know if it will be
sweet and crunchy or bitter, etc..

If grown from seed you will not know how vigorous it may be.
Commercially bought trees have different rootstocks for different
situations. For example, a person with a small garden would reuire a
tree that will not grow huge. The growth is controlled by the rootstock
and so the commercial growers will sell you a tree with a dwarfing
rootstock for that purpose. On the other hand, if you have a huge
garden you will have room for bigger trees and can buy trees grown on
more vigorous rootstocks. Your tree may be very vigorous and therefore
I would recommend you get a book on pruning fruit trees in order to keep
the tree under control and in good fruiting fettle.

One can tell when an apple is ready for picking by cupping it in the
hand and lifting *gently* against the joint. If ready, it will come
free in your hand.

Hope this is of some help.

--
Cheers,

Allen - currently growing 6 apple trees; all different varieties.