New fruit trees en route!

Mine are showing signs of budding as well mate. I think if it warms up in next few weeks they will burst into life. Have you got some fleece on standby? Remember the trees are hardy but a late frost in April/may could damage the blossom

 

I've just ordered 5 dwarf fruit trees for under £40 - see below of link. (Golden Delicious, Gala, Pear Doyenné du Comice, Black Amber Plum and Sylvia Cherry)

Seems like a bargain to me...what do you think?

http://www.vanmeuwen.com/fruit-and-...-and-pear-trees/mini-fruit-collection/61617VM

Am planning to plant a couple of these in raised beds (soil depth is around 12" - will this be enough?) and the rest in pots.
I have zero experience with trees so any advice on planting (depth, container sizes required etc), care and pruning would be much appreciated.
Many thanks

 

Here's a tip for planting rootballed or bare-root trees. In a large bucket, mix some well-rotted manure, equal amount of clayey soil and enough water to make a paste the consistency of thin porridge. It's called pralin. Swirl the tree's roots in the mixture until coated, then plant as usual. It's especially useful for planting on heavy, sticky soil.

 

Website recommends pots ... dunno how that relates to raised beds, but suggests to me that they have a small rootball and may not need a lot of soil

I think it depends how much space you have., but my opinion is that it is better to consider the long game. Apple trees will bear fruit for many years, during which time they will handsomely pay back the cost of the original plant ... so I think rather than seeking a bargain it is better to consider what varieties you like to eat, and to choose varieties that will spread the harvest over several months so that you have the best change of eating them all up

The most dwarfing of rootstocks M29 (which the VM ones probably are) will give you a plant that yields around 5kg of Apples.

M9 rootstock will give you a fruit tree suitable for a normal garden (so bigger than a "pot" grown one). Probably around 20-30kg of Apples per tree.

MM106 rootstock will produce a tree usually too big for a garden (i.e. suitable for a commercial orchard). However, that extra vigour is well suited to training the tree along wires, or as a fan against a wall etc. Probably around 40-50kg of apples per tree.

Apple trees cost about £15 each. Somewhat more than you paid ... but ... you then have choice of any variety you like the flavour of (there are Apple "Open Days" in the Autumn when you can taste all sorts of different varieties ), and also a choice of times when they mature. You could even have a "family" tree (with several varieties grafted on to a single tree to have more choice of fruits but in a relatively small space).

The dwarfing rootstocks needs more attention than the larger trees - watering several times a week during the summer, for example

 

Thanks for the advice, people.
I would always go for open ground over raised beds given the choice, but sadly my entire garden used to be a big garage so 4-5" at most under the lawn and borders is solid concrete. Makes drainage a right pain (my lawn is terrible to try and keep nice) and planting even more so.
So yeah, I basically have to plant everything in the beds I've made or pots. Hence these trees - as I figure they're about the only fruit trees I can support. Hopefully several in large pots and several in raised beds will work out ok.

And yes Kristen, I totally appreciate what you're saying here but again space and lack of soil depth restricts me. Thankfully I'm a volunteer at a local community farm and we've just planted a new orchard so I'll be getting to learn about caring for, harvesting and trying different varieties through that.

 

PS - after the trees are in and growing what would you recommend feeding them and how often?
I'd favour comfrey tea but don't have the space to grow enough comfrey. What's the best organic feed for fruit trees please and how regularly dwarf varieties like this need it?
Cheers

 

:( Feel for you on that one ...

Thought that might be the case. I wonder if they would be better off in pots - you can move them around etc. then. Having said that I've never grown apples in pots ... the Catalogues make it look easy but could well be that they will be happier in soil, even if shallow / poor.

Would be good for the fruiting period, but not sure about at other times. You can buy comfrey fertilizer (I grow my own, so not tried it, but I think it comes dried or compressed bricks, or something like that)

I wonder if they would take some wood ash?

 

I got some fruit trees from poundstretcher £4.99 each bargain


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