Pollination of plums and pears

[BeatTheSeasons]

I only have space for one 'proper' fruit tree in my garden so I'm going to buy an apple tree.

I'm also planning to grow espalier or fan forms of plums and pears up my south facing fence.

Many plum varieties are described as "self fertile". Does this mean 'sort of' self-fertile, as would be the case with apples, or genuinely self-fertile, as with soft fruit? Will I truly get just as much fruit with just one tree?

For pears, I know I need a pollination partner for the tree I plan to buy - which is Doyenne du Comice. So my question is slightly different: how likely is it that pollination will be taken care of by other pear trees in the vicinity? I'm in a fairly densely populated urban area, with small gardens but lots of potential pear-growers! I'm hoping there must be some near-neighbours with pear trees in their gardens. I'm also about half a mile from some allotments.

I'm mainly motivated for not wanting to fork out another 30 quid each for cordons that would then be quite hard to squeeze into the space available.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Many plum varieties are described as "self fertile". Does this mean 'sort of' self-fertile, as would be the case with apples, or genuinely self-fertile, as with soft fruit? Will I truly get just as much fruit with just one tree?

The easy answer to this one is to ask the supplier. That way you have a comeback against them whilst you have none against those giving advice on here.

Having said that, for what it's worth, having more than one pollinator increases the chances of pollination and so increases the prospect of a heavier crop.

[FB.]

Plum trees generally seem to be very fertile, so you should get a decent crop. I had a Victoria plum which was a fairly regular and heavy cropper, despite plums being uncommon in this area (the soil is too dry).

Pear trees are less fertile than plums - and not very common nowadays so pollinators may not be nearby. But varieties such as Conference and Concorde will produce a satisfactory crop on their own. Like plums, pears despise poor/dry soil.
I live not far from Cambridge - and used to live in Cambridge. The soil is too poor, shallow and low-rainfall to be much good for pears or plums (I eventually gave up!), unless grown on very vigorous rootstocks, or grown in a spot which retains moisture for most of the year. I have to water plums and pears regularly, otherwise when we finally get heavy summer rain, the fruits swell so fast that they split (and rot).

I advise caution for plums and pears in the Cambridge area. Indeed, most fruit trees are unlikely to get anywhere near the size that they're supposed to - that's *if* they even manage to establish at all.
MM106, Quince A, and St.Julien A rootstocks require a much richer and moister soil than is typically found in or near Cambridge.
There's a reason why I grow mostly apples - and mostly on the very strong rootstocks (MM111 and M25).

Self-pollinated fruits are often smaller or mis-shapen and maybe not quite as good quality.

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However, be aware that because plums and pears flower early in the season, late frosts can kill the flowers. So....don't blame a fruitless tree on lack of pollination; it can sometimes be a late frost that killed the flowers and young fruits.
Plums are also strongly biennial.

Doyenne de Comice pear is not an easy variety to grow - it needs a warm, sunny, sheltered location. I would recommend Concorde, which is an offspring of Comice, but much easier to grow.

[bramble]

I have one Victoria plum tree in a half barrel and it has been giving me a good crop for the last three years. It does very well on its own and there is no other plum tree near-by.
I just noticed today that there are buds starting to swell on the branches.