Apple trees - a few big ones or a lot of little ones?
 

With a limited amount of room in the garden, which gives the biggest
harvest of apples - a few big trees or many little trees planted closer
together?
--
Chris

Apple trees - a few big ones or a lot of little ones?
 

On Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:04:30 +0000
Chris ] wrote:

With a limited amount of room in the garden, which gives the biggest
harvest of apples - a few big trees or many little trees planted closer
together?

The question should be: which gives the biggest harvest-able harvest.
Big trees are bitch to pick if you don't want to make cider. Plus you
get much better fruit if you thin them to no more than 2 fruit to a
spur in July.

R.

Apple trees - a few big ones or a lot of little ones?
 

Chris ] writes
With a limited amount of room in the garden, which gives the biggest
harvest of apples - a few big trees or many little trees planted closer
together?

The other question you should ask yourself is 'which apples do you
like'. If your taste is for a particular apple, then just planting that
apple, and another variety as a pollinator, is all you need. If, on the
other hand, you enjoy the different tastes of a variety of apples
(crisp, juicy, spicy, aromatic etc), then you need to plant more trees.

Also - different varieties keep for different lengths of time. As a rule
of thumb, the very early varieties, ripening in August, keep for only a
very few weeks, whereas varieties ripening in Decmeber may keep till
march and beyond. So you may want to plant for a succession.

No idea what yields should be from different sized trees. My best tree
(an Allingtons Pippin) about 7ft high and spreading 4ft in one direction
and 8ft in the other, gives me about 100lb.
--
Kay

Apple trees - a few big ones or a lot of little ones?
 

K wrote:
Chris ] writes
With a limited amount of room in the garden, which gives the biggest
harvest of apples - a few big trees or many little trees planted
closer together?

The other question you should ask yourself is 'which apples do you
like'. If your taste is for a particular apple, then just planting
that apple, and another variety as a pollinator, is all you need. If,
on the other hand, you enjoy the different tastes of a variety of
apples (crisp, juicy, spicy, aromatic etc), then you need to plant
more trees.
Also - different varieties keep for different lengths of time. As a
rule of thumb, the very early varieties, ripening in August, keep for
only a very few weeks, whereas varieties ripening in Decmeber may
keep till march and beyond. So you may want to plant for a succession.

No idea what yields should be from different sized trees. My best tree
(an Allingtons Pippin) about 7ft high and spreading 4ft in one
direction and 8ft in the other, gives me about 100lb.

Thanks Kay. saved I hadn't thought about apples but given enough space, I
think I would like to grow some:)

Apple trees - a few big ones or a lot of little ones?
 

Ophelia writes
Thanks Kay. saved I hadn't thought about apples but given enough space, I
think I would like to grow some:)

Didn't you mention visiting Harlow Carr? There is a Northern Fruit Group
based there which has a useful list of apples happy in the north.

I find them very easy and care-free. I'm sure I don't achieve maximum
yields, but I get enough for our own needs without undue effort.


--
Kay

Apple trees - a few big ones or a lot of little ones?
 

K wrote:
Ophelia writes
Thanks Kay. saved I hadn't thought about apples but given enough
space, I think I would like to grow some:)

Didn't you mention visiting Harlow Carr?

Yes I did.

There is a Northern Fruit
Group based there which has a useful list of apples happy in the
north.

Next time I go, I will ask, thank you. The people there are very helpful
and are happy to chat about anything to do with plants and gardening:) I
had a very useful chat about container gardening and I did learn a lot.

I find them very easy and care-free. I'm sure I don't achieve maximum
yields, but I get enough for our own needs without undue effort.