Back briefly for apricot advice please
 

I'm in inner city Leeds, Yorkshire so there's no point in southerners
bothering to reply - conditions are very different :-)

I want to get an apricot tree, I'm assured that they will produce fruit here
if grown in a protected, sunny site.

I can do that but not with a wall behind it, which is recommended, unless we
build one which would have to be done from the friendly neighbour's garden.
He's co-operative and wants to build a garage in that spot anyway -
eventually.

The site is reasonably sheltered and gets full sun (when it's out!). The
local temperature is higher than in less built-up regions.

Would it help to put a temporary panel of a less heat retentive material -
wood, plastic, glass - until a wall can be built?

Would the panel (hem!) advise training the apricot as a fan or other shape
or having it as a small tree? I'd prefer it to be flat against the
fence/wall.

Do I need to know anything else?

Mary

Back briefly for apricot advice please
 

On 28 Feb, 16:13, "Mary Fisher" wrote:
I'm in inner city Leeds, Yorkshire so there's no point in southerners
bothering to reply - conditions are very different :-)

I want to get an apricot tree, I'm assured that they will produce fruit here
if grown in a protected, sunny site.

I can do that but not with a wall behind it, which is recommended, unless we
build one which would have to be done from the friendly neighbour's garden.
He's co-operative and wants to build a garage in that spot anyway -
eventually.

The site is reasonably sheltered and gets full sun (when it's out!). The
local temperature is higher than in less built-up regions.

Would it help to put a temporary panel of a less heat retentive material -
wood, plastic, glass - until a wall can be built?

Would the panel (hem!) advise training the apricot as a fan or other shape
or having it as a small tree? I'd prefer it to be flat against the
fence/wall.

Do I need to know anything else?

Mary

Kay, is your man Mary as she is in Leeds and I think I can remember
Kay having an apricot in her garden.

Come in Kay.

Judith

Back briefly for apricot advice please
 

wrote in message
oups.com...

Kay, is your man Mary as she is in Leeds

Well, a few miles from me :-)

and I think I can remember
Kay having an apricot in her garden.

I didn't know that! It gives me hope :-)

Mary

Back briefly for apricot advice please
 

On 28 Feb, 17:08, "Mary Fisher" wrote:
wrote in message

oups.com...



Kay, is your man Mary as she is in Leeds

Well, a few miles from me :-)

and I think I can remember
Kay having an apricot in her garden.

I didn't know that! It gives me hope :-)

Mary

Kay is an absolute expert and if she doesn't know, I'm sure she will
point you in the direction of a man who does i.e. cue Cormaic in
Warrington, is that near you?

Judith

Back briefly for apricot advice please
 

wrote in message
oups.com...
On 28 Feb, 17:08, "Mary Fisher" wrote:
wrote in message

oups.com...



Kay, is your man Mary as she is in Leeds

Well, a few miles from me :-)

and I think I can remember
Kay having an apricot in her garden.

I didn't know that! It gives me hope :-)

Mary

Kay is an absolute expert

I know!

and if she doesn't know, I'm sure she will
point you in the direction of a man who does i.e. cue Cormaic in
Warrington, is that near you?

Oh, Kay's fine for me, if anything she's more exposed than we are and if she
can grow an apricot I'm sure we'll be fine. Warrington's much further away
:-)

But thanks!

Mary

Judith

Back briefly for apricot advice please
 

Mary Fisher wrote:
I'm in inner city Leeds, Yorkshire so there's no point in southerners
bothering to reply - conditions are very different :-)

I want to get an apricot tree, I'm assured that they will produce fruit here
if grown in a protected, sunny site.

I can do that but not with a wall behind it, which is recommended, unless we
build one which would have to be done from the friendly neighbour's garden.
He's co-operative and wants to build a garage in that spot anyway -
eventually.

The site is reasonably sheltered and gets full sun (when it's out!). The
local temperature is higher than in less built-up regions.

Would it help to put a temporary panel of a less heat retentive material -
wood, plastic, glass - until a wall can be built?

Would the panel (hem!) advise training the apricot as a fan or other shape
or having it as a small tree? I'd prefer it to be flat against the
fence/wall.

Do I need to know anything else?

Mary,

I'm on the Leeds/Wakefield Border in East Ardsley, and 2 years ago I put
in a maiden Apricot, against a wall. It's made slow progress, so I can't
report flowers or fruit yet. I'm training as a fan against the wall. I
thought I was mad (the family think so too :-) so I'm really glad to see
someone else wanting to try this. I'm not sure Kay has an apricot? I don't
remember seeing one when she showed me round her garden a couple of years
ago.

I'm sure you could get an apricot started before the wall is in place -
but you'd have to be very very carefull building the wall not to damage
the tree. I think one of the reasons a wall is usefull is that you can
support fleece for covering the apricot, should there be danger of frost
when the tree is in flower.

Jim

Back briefly for apricot advice please
 

"Jim Jackson" wrote in message
...
Mary Fisher wrote:
I'm in inner city Leeds, Yorkshire so there's no point in southerners
bothering to reply - conditions are very different :-)

I want to get an apricot tree, I'm assured that they will produce fruit
here
if grown in a protected, sunny site.

I can do that but not with a wall behind it, which is recommended, unless
we
build one which would have to be done from the friendly neighbour's
garden.
He's co-operative and wants to build a garage in that spot anyway -
eventually.

The site is reasonably sheltered and gets full sun (when it's out!). The
local temperature is higher than in less built-up regions.

Would it help to put a temporary panel of a less heat retentive
material -
wood, plastic, glass - until a wall can be built?

Would the panel (hem!) advise training the apricot as a fan or other
shape
or having it as a small tree? I'd prefer it to be flat against the
fence/wall.

Do I need to know anything else?

Mary,

I'm on the Leeds/Wakefield Border in East Ardsley, and 2 years ago I put
in a maiden Apricot, against a wall. It's made slow progress, so I can't
report flowers or fruit yet. I'm training as a fan against the wall. I
thought I was mad (the family think so too :-) so I'm really glad to see
someone else wanting to try this. I'm not sure Kay has an apricot? I don't
remember seeing one when she showed me round her garden a couple of years
ago.

I'm sure you could get an apricot started before the wall is in place -
but you'd have to be very very carefull building the wall not to damage
the tree. I think one of the reasons a wall is usefull is that you can
support fleece for covering the apricot, should there be danger of frost
when the tree is in flower.

Thanks for that, Jim. I don't think you're mad at all. I haven't had a full
tour of Kay's garden so don't know about hers.

I've had so much conflicting 'expert' advice from professional growers and
books and websites that we've very confused. I suspect that I'm in too much
of a hurry (you get like that as you get closer to your box !) and that I
should put more thought into it.

The wall will be built for other reasons even if we don't get an apricot.
The neighbour is very amenable. About four or five years ago we built a 1m
high retaining wall at the end of his garden, with proper foundations and
piers. The proposed wall will be an extension of this.

If we do get a tree it seems that it might be better to prepare the site
thoroughly and buy it in autumn rather than this spring. It will be
important to grow one which flowers late, I think, to avoid possible frost
damage.

My first idea was that fan training would be best (and good to look at) but
it would take up a large spread of the wall and space is tight. It would
also possibly take more management than a tree, time and physical abilities
are diminishing. If we let it grow as a tree I want to make sure I can get a
dwarf one, even eight feet high would really be too much.

I'm really just musing now, I'm very grateful for all the advice given here
and if I do get a tree I'll let you all know what happens. In the meantime,
Jim, could you mail me please?

Mary

Back briefly for apricot advice please
 

Mary

Apricot and peach are fine grown up here but they do need protection.
May I offer this system which seens to work well.
The tree was trained against a south faciing fence pannel, raised 9
inches off the ground so that a frost pocket sis not develope behind
it. The fence posts where extended so that they where a good couple
of feet higher than the panel.
The panel provides a suprising degree of warmth. The extended posts
are used to provide a top covering - angle bracket like to stop water
damage to the fruit and reduce fungal disease spread by water
droplets.

The one thing I would be concerned about, is that if you are intending
to use your neighbours wall then there is a possibility or root damage
in preparing the wall. Why not grow it on in a container until the
wall is ready - if there is a risk of root damage

I know of several members of the Northern Fruit Group growing apricots
(predominatly Moorpark, Farmingdale and Flavorcot) in the Leeds area -
mainly in protected / under cover situations though.

The Northern Fruit Group has an allotment garden over at Fartown,
Huddersfield and there is a meeting there on 13th & 25th March. If
you want any info - please feel free to ask.

Regards
Clifford
Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Back briefly for apricot advice please
 

"cliff_the_gardener" wrote in message
ps.com...
Mary

Apricot and peach are fine grown up here but they do need protection.
May I offer this system which seens to work well.
The tree was trained against a south faciing fence pannel, raised 9
inches off the ground so that a frost pocket sis not develope behind
it. The fence posts where extended so that they where a good couple
of feet higher than the panel.
The panel provides a suprising degree of warmth. The extended posts
are used to provide a top covering - angle bracket like to stop water
damage to the fruit and reduce fungal disease spread by water
droplets.

I wondered about using timber fencing but it does need maintenance ...

The one thing I would be concerned about, is that if you are intending
to use your neighbours wall then there is a possibility or root damage
in preparing the wall. Why not grow it on in a container until the
wall is ready - if there is a risk of root damage

The wall is between the neighbour and us, it was built by us as a retaining
wall to prevent a bank of earth in our garden falling into his, which it had
done for decades. We needed to make a foxproof barrier too so a chain link
fence was fitted at the top of the wall. There would be no root disturbance
now because our proposed wall is just an extension of the lower retaining
wall. All the distrubance was years ago and it's all settled now with plants
and hedging growing well.

A container grown tree would be fine for younger people but we're a bit past
all that lugging about :-)

I know of several members of the Northern Fruit Group growing apricots
(predominatly Moorpark, Farmingdale and Flavorcot) in the Leeds area -
mainly in protected / under cover situations though.

That's interesting ...

The Northern Fruit Group has an allotment garden over at Fartown,
Huddersfield and there is a meeting there on 13th & 25th March. If
you want any info - please feel free to ask.

That's interesting too, I couldn't make the 13th because I'm having surgery
in Harrogate on 12th but the later one would be possible. If you could mail
me privately with deatails I'd appreciate it.

I'm not giving up totally on the project, just doing more research instead
of jumping in and regretting it later.

Thanks,

Mary

Regards
Clifford
Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Back briefly for apricot advice please
 

Jim Jackson writes

I'm on the Leeds/Wakefield Border in East Ardsley, and 2 years ago I put
in a maiden Apricot, against a wall. It's made slow progress, so I can't
report flowers or fruit yet. I'm training as a fan against the wall. I
thought I was mad (the family think so too :-) so I'm really glad to see
someone else wanting to try this. I'm not sure Kay has an apricot? I don't
remember seeing one when she showed me round her garden a couple of years
ago.

No, you're right, I don't have an apricot. Most warmth-loving fruit I
can offer is a fig, which is cropping well!
--
Kay

Back briefly for apricot advice please
 

On Mar 4, 5:48 pm, K wrote:
Jim Jackson writes

I'm on the Leeds/Wakefield Border in East Ardsley, and 2 years ago I put
in a maiden Apricot, against a wall. It's made slow progress, so I can't
report flowers or fruit yet. I'm training as a fan against the wall. I
thought I was mad (the family think so too :-) so I'm really glad to see
someone else wanting to try this. I'm not sure Kay has an apricot? I don't
remember seeing one when she showed me round her garden a couple of years
ago.

No, you're right, I don't have an apricot. Most warmth-loving fruit I
can offer is a fig, which is cropping well!
--
Kay

Sorry Kay, I thought I could remember an apricot on the wall of the
bedroom I slept in.

Judith

Back briefly for apricot advice please
 

wrote in message
ps.com...
On Mar 4, 5:48 pm, K wrote:
Jim Jackson writes

I'm on the Leeds/Wakefield Border in East Ardsley, and 2 years ago I put
in a maiden Apricot, against a wall. It's made slow progress, so I can't
report flowers or fruit yet. I'm training as a fan against the wall. I
thought I was mad (the family think so too :-) so I'm really glad to see
someone else wanting to try this. I'm not sure Kay has an apricot? I
don't
remember seeing one when she showed me round her garden a couple of
years
ago.

No, you're right, I don't have an apricot. Most warmth-loving fruit I
can offer is a fig, which is cropping well!
--
Kay

Sorry Kay, I thought I could remember an apricot on the wall of the
bedroom I slept in.

Judith

That was the wallpaper:-)
I can't remember where I saw it but someone has an apricot growing somewhere
in North Yorkshire. I know it's against a wall in a sheltered area but that
could fit a thousand places.

Back briefly for apricot advice please
 

" writes
On Mar 4, 5:48 pm, K wrote:
Jim Jackson writes

I'm on the Leeds/Wakefield Border in East Ardsley, and 2 years ago I put
in a maiden Apricot, against a wall. It's made slow progress, so I can't
report flowers or fruit yet. I'm training as a fan against the wall. I
thought I was mad (the family think so too :-) so I'm really glad to see
someone else wanting to try this. I'm not sure Kay has an apricot? I don't
remember seeing one when she showed me round her garden a couple of years
ago.

No, you're right, I don't have an apricot. Most warmth-loving fruit I
can offer is a fig, which is cropping well!

Sorry Kay, I thought I could remember an apricot on the wall of the
bedroom I slept in.

No need for apologies!

--
Kay

Back briefly for apricot advice please
 

"Rupert (W.Yorkshire)" writes

wrote in message
ups.com...
On Mar 4, 5:48 pm, K wrote:
Jim Jackson writes

I'm on the Leeds/Wakefield Border in East Ardsley, and 2 years ago I put
in a maiden Apricot, against a wall. It's made slow progress, so I can't
report flowers or fruit yet. I'm training as a fan against the wall. I
thought I was mad (the family think so too :-) so I'm really glad to see
someone else wanting to try this. I'm not sure Kay has an apricot? I
don't
remember seeing one when she showed me round her garden a couple of
years
ago.

No, you're right, I don't have an apricot. Most warmth-loving fruit I
can offer is a fig, which is cropping well!

Sorry Kay, I thought I could remember an apricot on the wall of the
bedroom I slept in.


That was the wallpaper:-)

What makes you so sure there was wallpaper? ;-)

We still haven't got the whole house decorated, and although that room
is one of the ones that has been done, I don't think it had been done
when Judith stayed.



--
Kay

Back briefly for apricot advice please
 

On Mar 4, 9:20 pm, K wrote:
"Rupert (W.Yorkshire)" writes







wrote in message
ups.com...
On Mar 4, 5:48 pm, K wrote:
Jim Jackson writes

I'm on the Leeds/Wakefield Border in East Ardsley, and 2 years ago I put
in a maiden Apricot, against a wall. It's made slow progress, so I can't
report flowers or fruit yet. I'm training as a fan against the wall. I
thought I was mad (the family think so too :-) so I'm really glad to see
someone else wanting to try this. I'm not sure Kay has an apricot? I
don't
remember seeing one when she showed me round her garden a couple of
years
ago.

No, you're right, I don't have an apricot. Most warmth-loving fruit I
can offer is a fig, which is cropping well!

Sorry Kay, I thought I could remember an apricot on the wall of the
bedroom I slept in.

That was the wallpaper:-)

What makes you so sure there was wallpaper? ;-)

We still haven't got the whole house decorated, and although that room
is one of the ones that has been done, I don't think it had been done
when Judith stayed.

--
Kay- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

It looked pretty good to me, it was a lovely room with my own en suite
bathroom!!! I hope I'm going to see you Kay at Sacha's, it's time for
a catch up.

Judith