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?

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

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.

mark

On Nov 6, 3:14*pm, "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?

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

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.

mark
Apple trees fall into groups. This refers to the time the blossom
opens. Your trees need to be the same or adjacent groups so they get
pollinated. A couple need two other trees to pollinate them.
You can of course take into account your neighbours trees if any.

"Sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2010-11-06 15:14:05 +0000, "mark" said:



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?

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

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.

mark

These people have a good range of fruit trees of all types so even if you
don't buy from them, you'll see some interesting names and info!
http://www.thornhayes-nursery.co.uk/
--


Thanks Sacha... their catalogue is downloading.

mark

"Rusty Hinge" 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?

mark

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.

--
Rusty

No, a russet is an apple which shows 'russetting', ie brown marking rather like that on a pear. Egremont Russet is the one most often available in supermarkets. I grow Brownlees Russet which has a rather 'dry' taste and beautiful pink blossom. Other people speak highly of Rosemary Russet.

Keep away from things you find in the shops. There's no point. Consider also harvest period - some are ready early (late August) and tend not to keep well. Others ripen during the autumn, others are picked unripe in October and ripen in store to eat from December to March. And then of course there's the question of whether you want eaters or cookers.

Of the ones that I grow:

Herrings Pippin (dual purpose, autumn) has a spicy flavour, almost as if you've already sprinkled the cinnamon on it. The apples can be very large - combined with the strong taste I sometimes find I can only eat half an apple at a time. Forge (eater) at its best also has a spicy flavour.

Cornish Aromatic (eater - Dec-Mar) has a quite complex flavour, it's my favourite of the ones I grow. But it allegedly prefers a warmer climate (I'm growing it in Yorkshire!)

Worcester Permain (early), although found in supermarkets, develops its best flavour when allowed to ripen on the tree. Often described as 'strawberry like"

I don't grow it, but Keswick Codlin (cooker) dissolves into beautiful light sweet fluff when baked.

You could also consider a family tree - ie 3 varieties grafted on to one tree. The used to be pretty boring, eg golden delicious plus red delicious plus something else equally uninspiring, but I noticed at Harlow Carr some family trees with two out of three looking fairly interesting.

Have you considered what rootstock you want?

mark wrote:

Family tree?
\\ ||Variety 3
\\ ||
\\ |\ ------graft
Variety 2 \\| |
\ | //Variety 1
graft---| |//
|_ / -----graft
| |
rootstock--- | |
| |
| |
~~~~~~~~~~~~""""""""~~~~~~~~~~





--
Rusty

"Sacha" wrote

"mark" said:



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?

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

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.



These people have a good range of fruit trees of all types so even if
you don't buy from them, you'll see some interesting names and info!
http://www.thornhayes-nursery.co.uk/

I can also recommend ...

http://www.blackmoor.co.uk/

Just bought a cherry from them and was rather impressed by the quality.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

"Rusty Hinge" wrote in message
...
mark wrote:

Family tree?
\\ ||Variety 3
\\ ||
\\ |\ ------graft
Variety 2 \\| |
\ | //Variety 1
graft---| |//
|_ / -----graft
| |
rootstock--- | |
| |
| |
~~~~~~~~~~~~""""""""~~~~~~~~~~


Gotcha...more than one variety on same tree... I vaguely remember them being
advertised in magazines. Interesting, I'll have to mull that one over now.
Getting jolly complicated this apple tree buying lark!


mark

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

"mark" wrote in message
o.uk...



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?

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

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.

mark

http://www.keepers-nursery.co.uk/

Great selection, excellent quality & service.
There are several russets to choose from of which Egremont Russet is the
best known.
Good keeper, good eating Tydemans Late Orange. It keeps easily into the New
Year and is still good. If you eat it too soon you'll find it too sharp if
you're used to supermarket apples.
Superb eater for early/mid November Topaz, a newish Czech variety. Pick it
mid Oct, eat it now - it's the apple you wish Cox's Orange Pippin was. Again
this one shouldn't be eaten straight off the tree.
Sunset - well proven Cox type, my favourite 'til I tried Topaz. This should
be eaten soon after picking.
Bramley Clone 20, more compact than most of the other clones but still buy
it on M9 rootstock if you have decent soil. All Bramleys are triploid and
therefore need at least 2 pollinators but you have that covered anyway.
Read the advice re. rootstocks on Keeper's website.

Rod

Martin Brown wrote:

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?)

Yes, but my forgettory is working overtime. If no-one else can suggest
what it is, I'll ask someone loacally who probably will.

If you want a swotch of Discovery, or a similar-looking (but nicer)
apple, I'd be pleased to send you some when I hak them off to graft a
coule of varieties I prefer. (Charles Ross is one of them, if you hadn't
guessed.)

--
Rusty

I visited Keeper's Nursery's open day a few years back, when you can walk around their nursery and taste the apples, and observe their condition of worminess, etc. On the basis of this, we selected a modern variety called Red Falstaff, which is exceptionally tasty and seems to be less prone to problems than some others.

We have also been pleased with our Fiesta.