On 06/11/2010 16:10, mark wrote:
"Rusty wrote in message
...
mark wrote:

My intention is to get three new eating apple trees. One I would like to
be a russet.

Is a russet a russet or are there different types?

There are several types, but the one I've come across more often is the
Egremont russet. Keeps well, crisp.

For the other two, I would like some recomendations as to some nice ones.

Charles Ross. Very large apples, keep well, good as eaters or cookers. One
of the trees I thought I'd bought ('family' tree), but it turned out not
to be as labelled. (So I'm cutting out the Discovery and graftig a Charles
Ross on instead.)

I'm not bothered about the blossom period as we already have a few
various old apple trees.

Any advice on buying also appreciated.

I shan't be doing this very often so just want to get it right.

Right. I'd go for a 'family' tree if you can find one with suitable
varieties. Mine should have been Charles Ross, James Grieve and Discovery,
but the biggest section turned out not to be Chas Ross, but an apple which
resembles Discovery, but keeps a bit better.

James Grieve is a good candidate for you - a fairly large eater which
keeps well. Another one I'd point at as a contender is Devonshire
Quarenden (also billed as D. Quarrenden and just Quar(r)enden). This s a
smallish apple which starts as a green one with a claret flush. At this
stage, and with unripe pips, it's crisp, sweet and juicy.

Ripe, it's claret-coloured all over, softer, sweeter, and has a delightful
scent.

Even riper, it is sweeter and eminently gummable.

Bramleys are pretty easy to find, so I'd suggest you look at a codling if
you want a cooker. They make very good baked apples, and cooked, the apple
pulp is not lumpy.



Family tree?

Has two or three different cultivars grafted onto a single rootstock in
approximate order of vigour. Gives you decent numbers of two or three
varieties of apples in the space occupied by one tree. You do have to be
fairly confident about pruning but it isn't hard to keep in balance.

I have Egremont Russet and Sunset (Cox type without the annoyances) as a
family tree and it does very nicely. The Russet is a bit on the vigorous
side and has to be kept under control. Sunset would definitely be
eclipsed by the faster growing Russet if left to its own devices.

I would quite like to get one of the quick to ripen early non keepers.
We used to have a wonderful scarlet red one with pink flesh name unknown
in Belgium. Worth it for having the first apples of the season.
(anyone recognise it from this description?)

Regards,
Martin Brown