Mulberry or Medlar trees anyone?

[noviceveggrower]

Hi everyone,
Was looking for something different for the allotment or at home for growing. Came across medlar trees and mulberry trees ages ago.
Don't know anyone who has any of these. I know what a book says about something can be totally different to what can and does happen with growth and fruit.
Any advice or help very welcome.
Thanks

[Alison]

Mulberry trees are lovely but get big and it seem to remember that they take an age to fruit. I didn't have the space so bought a quince instead.


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[AllInContainers]

I have a medlar tree, but seeing as I've only had it two weeks I'm not much use to you at the moment

[binley100]

Ive got a medlar but not had it long...I woukd like a mulberry but no room

[yummersetter]

I have medlars, mulberries and quinces. The medlar is a pretty tree and the fruits are unusual but finicky to prepare once they've bletted. Half a teaspoon of pulp from each, so no use if you're starving. The mulberries are taking a long time to get going, I've planted them in three places and three of them haven't 'woken up' in the spring after planting, so I've replaced them the following year. The two from last year that are still alive only grew about a foot over the year. I have a replacment for the third position that I've put in a pot in a sheltered place to try planting next spring.

I have two quinces that are troublefree except for a bit of fungal rust on the Meeches tree. Pretty trees, attractive flowers, and last autumn I had about three barrowfuls of fruit, good for baking, preserves, freezing and swaps, also make the house smell wonderful whilst they're ripening.

[digon]

The mulberries are taking a long time to get going, I've planted them in three places and three of them haven't 'woken up' in the spring after planting, so I've replaced them the following year. The two from last year that are still alive only grew about a foot over the year. I have a replacment for the third position that I've put in a pot in a sheltered place to try planting next spring.

My black Mulberry tree is about 5ft high with a lovely shaped canopy but has only grown about 4" per branch, since I planted it two years ago, despite being pampered.
The first leaves do not appear on mine until (late?) June so it looks dead compared to the other trees around it in spring.
When I ordered it the advert said 3- 3.5m fully grown but other places I've seen them described as large trees so not sure if there are different size varieties available?

[BertieFox]

We planted a medlar just a couple of years ago and had the first reasonable crop just last autumn. They are pretty little trees and the blossom is attractive in spring, and don't get very big.

The fruit is quite difficult to deal with and all that 'bletting' is not easy to achieve without them going beyond the point of no return but there is nothing quite like medlar jelly. If you have space for one, I would definitely recommend it as it is trouble free and will grow in a good range of soils.

[boundtothesoil]

I have a twenty year old mulberry tree, about 15 ft high, and, although it's pleasant enough to look at, the yield of mulberries has never exceeded a couple of kilos. They are fiddly little fruits and I use them for making mulberry jelly, but the flavour doesn't hold a candle to redcurrent jelly. So, personally, I wouldn't recommend one if you're looking for large quantities of tasty fruit. That said, Iv'e seen a few examples of very productive older mulberry trees. I suppose it depends how long you are prepared to wait and what your priorities are.

[ancee]

We got a brochure from `Pomona Fruits' have a lovely selection of medlars quinces, damsons.... oh dear... I seriously should stop perusing these catalogues. I will be forever poor

[RedThorn]

But rich in fruit and veg choices

[yummersetter]

Like to see the 'rich' people eat their credit cards wrapped in their share certificates if civilisation collapses!

[BertieFox]

Like to see the 'rich' people eat their credit cards wrapped in their share certificates if civilisation collapses!

The problem is they would all come round and steal our fruit and veg if it did! That's how they got rich in the first place!

[Olorin2001]

Like to see the 'rich' people eat their credit cards wrapped in their share certificates if civilisation collapses!

Don't want to spoil you day - but don't you mean? - when civilisation collapses!!

[Feral007]

If you want a mulberry tree move to Sydney or higher. They grow massive! Bigger than your average house (over a period of time) and will feed the children of the neighbourhood. Beleive me, I know. Our next door neighbour had one, and every kid in the street lived in that tree all summer, and we had purple feet, hands and mouth.
But down here, I'm struggling to get one going. Have been keeping one alive for the last few years, but not much more. So you might need to move and take your mulberry tree with you

[Kristen]

I expect that in the UK "Nottingham" is the Medlar typically planted. Its the one I have (didn't even think about whether there were better / more suitable / alternative varieties to consider when I ordered and planted mine).

Keepers Nursery UK | Fruit trees for sale | Buy Online | Mail order

have half a dozen varieties, but no useful descriptions of why you would buy one rather than any other. They are a respected nursery so it might well be worthwhile firing off an email to ask for some advice on variety. Of "Nottingham" they say:

"Nottingham is the best known variety of medlar in the UK. The fruit has good flavour but is prone to cracking and rotting as it ripens."

So although hardy it looks like harvest is not straightforward, and maybe other varieties fare better?

Similar thing with Mulberry trees. There are varieties and varieties

Black Mulberry Tree | Morus nigra Chelsea | Reads Nursery

have half a dozen varieties (not including "King James" which is the name that rings a bell in my memory). They say that their "Chelsea" variety will fruit in 3 years ... perhaps ones routinely on offer are seed-grown and thus going to be a long time before the wood / plant is Adult/Mature and starts to fruit?

Ah .... just read the rest of their Blurb which says "The plant was named 'Chelsea' by the late Robert Garner of East Malling fruit research station. He rescued the tree, reputedly planted by King James in the Chelsea Physic Garden, which was badly damaged by bombs in the war" which is presumably where I got the notion that there was one called King James. Its probably called that by other vendors.

My general view on fruit trees (these slightly more obscure chaps aside) is that they will be fruiting for many years, and the "payback" is over that period of time, so its worth picking a variety that a) I like the flavour of and b) grows in my soil. The fact that a dessicated specimen is On Offer in the local shed / supermarket for a couple of quid is not very attractive if I have to wait a few years for it to start fruiting and then find that I don't like the taste! Apple Maidens are £15-£20 for specialist nurseries and will probably crop £10 of apples (checked today and they were 35p each) per tree per year, and thus my advice is to pick one that you like the flavour of ... and grows happily in your soil