Kieth,
Have you given any thought as to how you would like your orchard
planted -ie) are you looking to have standard trees 20ft tall or small
6-8ft bush trees or grown as oblique cordons? Equally are you looking
to plant old varieies or are you after just good apples whether
recently introduced or not?
The significance is as follows -
Standard trees getting to 20ft will have to be spaced accordingly, as
will the bush trees. The difference in hight is as a result of root
stock selection. The tall trees will be on M25 or M111, whereas the
bush trees could be on M9. If you select the cordon option it allows
trees to be spaced at 1m intervals with 2.5m between rows. This allows
for a wealth of varieties to be planted and thus get a good selection
through out the season. Granted the yield per tree will be less but in
the space, they will be as productive.
The problem with recommending varieties is that one man's meat is
another mans poison. We have our own idividual tastes.
A nursery I can recommend is the Agroforestry Research trust whoa re in
Devon, http://www.agroforestry.co.uk/index.html , I have purchased
plants from them in the past and they have been very efficient.
Clifford
Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire.