Gardener and author Bob Flowerdew from England says: “Planting a few fruit trees or bushes is not so hard to do, doesn’t take a lot of maintenance, will give you a good yield and children love fruit” and he has a point! The orchard at The Organic Centre has more than 50 different varieties of apples, a few pears and plums and was established to demonstrate that we can produce apples in Ireland and more specific in the North West. Most of us can find a space in our gardens or around the house to grow fruit. Here are a few guidelines to get you started:
- Avoid frost pockets
- Choose a sunny side
- Not in a windy spot
- Improve your soil
A good rootstock is M26 rootstock or alternatively on MM106. They are vigorous and suitable for most soils. M26 produces a semi dwarf or half standard tree of up to 14ft, but you will need to stake it for the first 6 years and the tree needs about 2-3 years to produce.
Planting: Prepare the soil in advance, remove the weeds and use plenty of compost for the planting hole of about 1 sqm. Spread the roots naturally, drive the stake in on the side of the hole from which prevailing winds are most frequent. NEVER BURY THE GRAFT UNION. Water in well.
Pollination: Make sure the pollinators all flower at the same time!
Pruning: Facilitates air circulation, helps to avoid excess shading of fruits. Pruning takes out growth spurts as lush growth is more susceptible to aphids and scab.
Try Charles Ross, named after its cultivator and introduced in 1899. A mid-season dual purpose variety with a good large size. “The flesh is a creamy white, sweet, juicy, firm and aromatic.”(Apples – a field guide by M. Clark) They are best used in cooking early in the season and because this is a really juicy apple it makes great cider. Another interesting fact: Charles Ross is used a lot in producing baby food.
Find out all about growing apples at our annual Apple Day
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
Apple polyphenols are standout nutrients in this widely loved fruit. These include flavonols, anthocyanins (if the apples are red-skinned) and several dozen more health-supportive polyphenol nutrients. Apples are a good source of fiber, including pectin and vitamin C. Apple nutrients are concentrated and the best way of eating apples is whole not peeled.
One last piece of advice, buy local apples and Irish produced apple juices at your farmers market. You can also now buy organic Irish cider and cider vinegar!
