New blank garden.... need URGENT advice on fruit and veggie plantation.

[Kristen]

2. How to choose a good tree when I am at Whisley ?
My choices are going to come from blackmoor and RHS.

My advice: Choose the tree you want / like first, then choose a supplier who has it in stock, at a size & price you like, and offers quality that you want.

3. What apple tree would you recomend ? I am looking for good size sweet dessert varity.
I dont mind if tree needs to grow in first 2-3 years before it fruits but i want a healthy nice tree before it fruits.
Can i plant 2 varities of apple bush tree at same spot (like 2 feet away), will they grow healthy and bear good fruit. I though it as alternative to family apple tree..

I think the absolutely most important thing is for you to choose a variety that you like to eat.

You generally need two different varieties of Apple, which flower at the same time (which is referred to as them being in the same pollination group [actually they can be one pollination group either side - so A, B or C with B is fine]). Some Apple varieties are self fertile, however even they tend to benefit from being fertilised by a different variety (bigger fruit, heavier yields, and some say "better taste" too )

Then you need to decide how small / big you want it to get, and then choose a rootstock for the size you want. Note that the really small dwarfing rootstocks tend to be the more difficult plants to manage - more TLC required.

Do you want to train the apple on wires, for example? That needs a more vigorous rootstock, even though the final plant will be quite small. Not all varieties are suitable for growing on wires - depends on whether they are tip-bearing or not.

Either way, I don't think even dwarfing varieties could be planted 2' apart. However, you might be able to grow cordons, planted at a 45-degree angle on wires - pretty close together, but if you are only going to have two plants I don't think that will work.

[PassionateButInexperience]

Thanks for inputs

Apple - M26/27 rootstock (most probably Falstaff and Discovery)
Pear - Double cordon (4 vertical fork like cordon on 1 plant)
1 x Double cordon of William
1 x Double Cordon of Beirre Hardy
2 x Single cordon of Concord

Cherry - 1 Tree or 3 cordon - Please recomend a good dessert varity
I have currently Hertford in mind, polligroup C and on Colt rootstock, prefer Gleisa 5 root stock though, may be morello (RHS has it on Gilesa 5 on Cordon both)

Peach - Avalon Pride on Mont clare rootstock, self fertile

Grapes - 1 Black (Muscat Blue ) Dessert
1 white ( Lakemont or Phoenix)

Am i Too greedy ( I guess yes)...

[fishpond]

"Apple - M26/27 rootstock (most probably Falstaff and Discovery)"
These will rootstocks will take a lot of TLC through out their lifetime (also these rootstocks will not take kindly to adverse soil conditions) and 2ft apart is way too close.
Look up Fruit trees for sale - buy online from the fruit tree specialists . FRUIT TREE ROOTSTOCKS AND TREE SIZES.
The guy that I believe owns that site also posts on here from time to time, very knowledgeable, same as FB who is also a bit of a whiz!
Pear rootstock also needs very careful consideration.
Trust me, it will be worth it in the end
WHAT --No plums or gages?

[Kristen]

Falstaff and Discovery both in the same pollination group

M26 will give you an 8-10' tree, M27 will give you 4-6' and, IMHO, be much harder to look after.

Dunno about the others, sorry.

[chris]

Haven't read the rest of the post, but can recommend Phoenix as a white outdoor grape. Very vigourous... in it's tiny 1L pot where I'd kept it in for a year (bad gyo person, me!) it had doubled in size and had 2 bunches of grapes on.

It's now in a large pot... they do grow big though (18m in height I believe?) I have a pergola to grow mine over..

[Ninetrees]

Very good offer here from Blackmoor (with whom I have no affiliation) for two M26 rootstock flavoursome apples. Helpful folks there too.

[PassionateButInexperience]

Apple - Falstaff & Discovery on M26 sounds right.
Will research more on the link provided by fishpond.

As I will buy container grown , can I plant ine in garden and leave other on container till i get my allotment, hopefully soon... and then put t in allotment ??

What does TLC mean???

Plumb - Ha ha ... yes fishpond why not .
Any recomendation for dessert varities ??

Grapes - Chris, how big/good are pheonix ?
I am planning them for outdoor on south facing fence in well drauned soil.

Pear - I checked my choice( last post above)
They are good on west facing well drained soil.


IMPPORTANT - Pleae give your thoughts on below..

I am planning to dig a hole 3' deep (can do deeper if needed) and 3' wide for each plant.
May be less for Codrons.

What should I fill them back with for good plant growth and drainage.

So far i researched I found to mix half of my claysoil with compost to fill the hole with tree in it, with bonemeal and microhiza at bottom and then eventually chicken pillets later ...topped with mulch.

[fishpond]

Apple - Falstaff & Discovery on M26 sounds right.
Will research more on the link provided by fishpond.

As I will buy container grown , can I plant ine in garden and leave other on container till i get my allotment, hopefully soon... and then put t in allotment ?? Do not see why not, but check you are allowed trees on lotty.,

What does TLC mean??? Tender loving care

Plumb - Ha ha ... yes fishpond why not .
Any recomendation for dessert varities ?? Victoria is the all time favorite (has a tendancy towards bi-annual bearing) but plenty of varieties to choose from

Grapes - Chris, how big/good are pheonix ?
I am planning them for outdoor on south facing fence in well drauned soil.

Pear - I checked my choice( last post above)
They are good on west facing well drained soil.


IMPPORTANT - Pleae give your thoughts on below..

I am planning to dig a hole 3' deep (can do deeper if needed) and 3' wide for each plant.
May be less for Codrons. Square holes

What should I fill them back with for good plant growth and drainage. make sure you fork over the bottom of holes and incorporate good garden compost or well rotted manure ( fresh will burn the roots)

So far i researched I found to mix half of my claysoil with compost to fill the hole with tree in it, with bonemeal and microhiza at bottom and then eventually chicken pillets later ...topped with mulch.

chicken pellets for Plums/Gages. Growmore for everything else, not sure about grapes(never grown them--yet)

[yummersetter]

Plums . . . please, not Victoria, too easy to buy the fruit in shops and not the greatest taste. There are a lot of lovely plums, plum/apricot hybrids, mirabelles and gages - you could spend half a year just finding out about them.
Apples - my favourites are Orleans Reinette (also good cooked) and Kidds Orange Red.

[Kristen]

Very good offer here from Blackmoor (with whom I have no affiliation) for two M26 rootstock flavoursome apples. Helpful folks there too.

Surprised Blackmoor are still offering bare root, I would have thought all their fruit trees would be out of dormancy by now. Might find that although "available" on the web site that they aren't shipping any longer (this season)

Later: Checked their Twitter feed and on 31-Mar they said "Last few weeks of the bare root #fruit tree season If you want to plant you need to order asap" so sounds like they are still available. Hurry if you want anything