fruit cordons cider question

[the big lebowski]

hi all,having just got my new plot i would like to make my own cider ,me are not allowed full size fruit tree as they might block light on neibouring plots so was wonering if anyone new any cordon variaties that can make a good batch of cider,any thought or advice is appriceated ,cheers

[Paulieb]

Have a look at 'welsh mountain cider' who have lots o FAQs regarding cider making and which varieties make which type of cider.

I think generally any apples can make cider, and they say that a mixture of varieties makes good cider.

Hundreds of types of apples can be grown as cordons, you just need them to be spur bearers (not tip bearers).

[yummersetter]

How much cider are you thinking of making?

[FB.]

You will need a lot of cordons to make a worthwhile amount of cider.

[orangepippin]

You might get 5-10kg of apples off a cordon, which will produce 2-4 litres of juice.

[the big lebowski]

hi,thanks for the link i`ve emailed them and waiting for a reply,im not really sure on how much i want maybe 25 liters ,i was planning to get 15 to 20 cordens so from what people have said that doesnt sound to unrealistic,thanks

[yummersetter]

It would take two large wheelbarrows full of apples to get 25 litres of juice using my equipment. Though you 'might' get 10kg of apples per cordon, cider apples are often on the small side and you won't get full crops for a few years. On my half standard trees on mm106 I have Chisel Jersey, Kingston Black and Dabinett, 5 years old, and get about 30 apples on each. Just in case you're getting thirsty thinking about it

[Alison]

I have cordons at my lottie but only for eating apples (well actually eating pears too ) and one cooking apple as a bush shape. We also make loads of cider but do that all from freebie foraged apples, once you get your eye in you'll find loads of trees at the road sides etc and we've not had a bad batch of cider yet.

[orangepippin]

As an alternative to cordons, why not consider growing very dwarf apple trees using the M27 rootstock. These won't get bigger than 5ft-6ft high, and can be planted almost as close together as cordons, but are likely to be more productive and probably easier to look after.

[the big lebowski]

hi, I had looked into the m27 type trees and yes your right they do seem better and I do think I would get more fruit of them, there are a few people who have fig trees that size but they have been there 20 odd years and in the last couple of years the rules have been tightened (such as no glass green houses only hardend plastic)amongst others so I will have to check with the powers that be,thanks for everyone comments ,very helpful,cheers