Still ok to buy fruit trees/bushes?

You need to plant bare root plants before or after the very cold weather in the winter, upto the end of march is suposed to be fine (ive planted aldi ones in april before now with no problems), ones in pots can be planted anytime

About November to March for bare rooted ones so you should be OK for another month unless we suddenly get a heatwave!

Yes, it is still OK to buy them for a couple of weeks yet. In early March, plums will start to come out of dormancy, so may be removed from sale. In late March, pears will start to wake up so may not be available. In early April, apples will start to wake up.
Different nurseries have different policies - and different climate that extends or shortens their bare-root season.

Bare-root season varies from year to year and with this winter having been very cold, it might mean a delay in leafing-out, so perhaps an extension to the bare root season.

Your choice of rootstock will depend on how big you want them to get and how good is your soil.
The variety grafted onto the rootstock can also affect the final size.

Don't plant the well-known varieties that you see in the shops. Some may not ripen properly in the UK climate and they are not bred for "organic" growing, so they need lots of sprays per season to keep them healthy and free from pests and diseases. This is especially important if in a domestic garden, where other plants, pets, children, or neighbours gardens, may get contaminated with chemicals.

I'd agree with the above, however don't rush. If you plant bare-root in March, chances are they won't be far ahead of any you may plant next November, especially if we have a dry summer.

If you're still not sure on your planning in the next few weeks, it'll do no harm to carry on planning, then maybe go for larger specimens (container-grown) when you know for sure what you want and where, in your plot.

Remember, when you're sorted, we neeeeeeed piccies LOL!

I think I was after M26.. really not sure of what variety yet though.

Plum wise, I know I definately want victoria, but haven't looked into them.

blueberr/rasberry I'd really like something that's a bit more mature, but we'll see I suspose, I may end up buying them online.

first job is a fench being put up (£1.3k !) to enclose the garden (side of house) + green house when bought (and eventually chickens).. so my idea is to create a bit of shade with them near the bottom of it - which will be at the southern tip of it. Eventaulyl then the chicken house thingy can go there, yada yada yada.

just dont want to do my usual thing and rush into buying something, only to realise a) it's sh*te, b) it doesn't work, and c) I rushed into it :P

M26 sounds OK.

As you're doing it in a garden, it would be very wise to match variety, rootstock and expectations to your conditions.
Being in the West, I expect that rain is plentiful - but what is your soil like and how large and how quickly do you want them to grow?
Do you want them to be short-stemmed bushes, or long-trunked trees?
Given your likely rainfall, I would particularly focus on good levels of canker and scab resistance in your apples.

With plums, rootstock choice is fairly limited - either St.Julien-A or Pixy.

What about pears?

.....and of course, pollination could be a factor. How many apple/plum/pear trees do you plan to plant? If only one of each, you'll benefit from some self-fertility (especially with pears, where suitable pollinators are much rarer).

Although if you go for container grown they will cost far more and I find that often they don't establish as well as they can be pot bound. Would suggest a better plan would be to wait until the next dormancy period if you're not sure.

Alison.

It's strange how different methods work in different parts of the country.

I really struggle to get bare-root trees moving on my poor soil because it is so shallow and dry.

My best results come from containter-growing for a few years, then knocking off the compost from the roots and spreading the roots around the planting hole.

Basically, my conditions are so poor that it needs to be a very big, strong specimen to have enough strength to establish.
Even bare-root trees on the vigorous MM111 or M25 rootstocks have proven to be very slow to get moving on my soil; they simly don't have the size and strength.

For bare-root trees, one place that has particualrly struck me as providing exceptionally strong trees is
> R.V.Roger < in Yorkshire.

RV Roger have bigger-rooted, stronger, healthier trees, compared to any other nursery that I've seen.

I've had a good think, and read of my gardening book and would like if possible to go for the following trees:

- Apple
- Pear
- Plum
-Apricot

After reading, it seems apricots are more suited to our climate - but the added bonus is that we both love apricots!

I've also attached a rough plan (not to scale) of what i'm thinking.. I'm having a fence put up along the bottom arc, and up past where the green house will be - so it'll be more sheltered than it currently is. The purple box past the fruit trees will probably be where we stick the chicken run thingy - when we look into that in a few years time. I'd hope by that time the trees will have grown a bit to provide some shade for them, etc.

I was thinking of the M26, as it's a bit more vigorous at providing fruit? Ideally, though I'd like trees that are roughly the same size - as I'd not want an apple tree dominating over the other three.

My neighbour has a Victoria plum, Conference Pear (which I'd like also), and I *think* an apple tree, but I'm not sure will have to double check.. Although apple wise, as below I may get a couple varieties?

I have thought though, about getting maybe 5 or so cordon varieties, and growing them up the side of the house - next to Rasberries, or Blackberries (looking for thornless varieties, due to the baby).

Thanks, FB - I've had time to digest your information, really helpful.

Well, we've a young baby - ideally I'd love her to be able to go out into the garden when she's a bit older (2-3?) and choose what fruit she wants to eat (+veg!), is that a realistic timescale?

Are wet places are more prone to canker/scab?

As mentioned, I'd like trees that are roughly the same sort of size - so if I have to drop from an M26, then that's fine too..

Ok thank you, i'll look into both of them.

Yep, as mentioned i'd like a conference pear tree. With the neighbour having a couple fruit trees that's helpful - but I take it self polinators may be better?

Oh yes, I'm planning on before and after pictures - don't you worry!

I'll have a look at them, although I'd prefer to support a local supplier as then I know it's just say 30mins in a van to me, rather than 3 hours (if they even deliver to Wales)..

have a look in ALDI as they now have fruit trees for £3.50,smaller but healthy looking..at that price even if they failed youve not lost a lot.

The discount trees are usually rejects from major nurseries.

There are many people who've bought "discount" trees and found them not to be the correct variety. Sometimes it's not even an apple tree.

Additionally, the varieties available tend to be the popular ones (e.g. Cox's), which are very prone to pests and diseases and rarely manage to give heavy crops of clean fruit.

i have braeburn,bramley,egremont russet,james grieves,two pears,a couple of plum and a greengage,all from morrisons and all fruiting great,its just that they seem to be always a little smaller and need growing on.i agree you need to know what you are looking at, and have an idea what you want, but at £3.50 in aldi i will definitely have a look as its not going to break the bank.i take my grandson to pick up mine, and the tree becomes his,im only looking after it for him,while he is at school,its on his scale and he counts the blossom,counts the june drop or any we remove to improve the crop and has to be there for the picking...it has worked wonders as i then got him growing then eating veg that were his.if more people grew fruit it might get the kids interested in food ,not mcdonalds.

your doing the wright thing BUFFS learn them young. it should be a compulsory subject at primary school in my view to grow fruit and veg

Lots of things to answer!

M26 or MM106 (apple rootstock) would probably be a good choice. As would Quince A (pear rootstock) and St.Julien A (plum rootstock).
In good soil and if not pruned, they can reach 12ft. In average conditions they reach about 10ft.
If well-pruned and not given too much nitrogen, they can be kept at about 5-6ft.

It sounds as if pollination won't be a problem. Conference and Victoria are self-fertile - and if you bought a different variety, pollination should be adequate from your neighbours trees.

Growing things near a wall can mean a drier environment, due to rainfall being partially blocked from one direction by the wall (or a roof overhang). Probably not an issue where you live, but very difficult where I live.

Cordons are do-able. I'd suggest M26 and Quince C rootstocks.
MM106 and Quince A may be a little more vigorous than desired, for cordons on moist soil, but should still be controllable.
Plums are not ideal as cordons, but can be grow as fans. St.Julien A rootstock would be fine.

Wet places are very prone to canker and scab.

Canker attacks the bark, which then impairs sapflow. Eventually the branch dies. Sometimes the whole tree dies.
Cankered trees end up being twisted and ugly as a result of the pruning required to cut out the dead branches.
Canker spores can also attack fruit, causing rots.

Scab mostly attacks green parts of the tree - leaves, fruits and sometimes young twigs.
It causes brown-black "scabs" to form on fruit or leaves, where the fungus has infected and killed the tissue. Eventually the fungus dies but the scab (scarring) remains. The scab is literally scar tissue that will not expand when the fruit or leaves grow. As a result, you get tatty leaves and split fruits - which soon rot on the tree.
Even in my dry/low rainfall climate, my Laxton Superb lost 90% of it's fruit to scab and subsequent rot last year.
Scab-damaged leaves are also severely impaired in their ability to photosynthesize. The leaves also fall very early. The trees vigour declines and after several wet seasons, can eventually die.

Trust me; if you don't want to spray, but want clean & healthy trees (and fruit!), you will need good resistance to scab and canker.