November GYO fruit trees

[george356]

OK - looking for some advice here. I really fancy the offer in the November GYO from YouGarden - "3 top quality trees for £19.99"

The offer is for 3 trees, Braeburn Apple, Victoria Plum & Conference Pear, all on dwarfing rootstock and self fertile - are they a good buy.

If so, the site I have planned for them is sheltered NW facing - it gets good afternoon sun during the summer months. Would it be a good idea to put these into the ground, or grow them in pots, and if so I could locate the pots on the SE facing side of the house if neccessary.

[boundtothesoil]

In terms of price, the offer is probably relatively cheap compared to a specialised nursery, but not compared to what you can pick up at some of the supermarkets after Christmas (e.g. £5 per tree, or less). The latter might not be of the highest quality, but you can at least have a good look at the trees before you buy them and pick out the ones with the least number of broken branches and roots!

Variety-wise, Conference pears and Victoria plums are tried and trusted, popular, safe bets. I grow both and they yield pretty well every year. However, personally, I don't like Braeburns. Plus, I'm not so sure that you'll get home grown Braeburns similar in quality to those in the supermarket when grown in Durham, but others on this forum may be better informed on this matter.

I would always grow in soil rather than pots given the choice, if only because the latter requires more care and attention during the growing season in terms of watering etc. Plus, I'd have thought that if you get things wrong, there's a a greater chance you'll end up with tiny trees, yielding just an handful of fruit.

[orangepippin]

Conference and Victoria are very good choices.

I doubt you will get Braeburn to ripen in Durham, or indeed anywhere outside the south-east of England. It needs a very long growing season and lots of sunshine.