Tuesday 21 March 2017

Can you ever have enough apple trees and a blog award.

No is the answer!  We are the proud owners of 12 new apple trees of the following varieties:
Fiesta
Howgate Wonder (cooking)
Discovery
Ellstons Orange
May queen
Bakers delicious
Winston
Scotch Bridgett (cooking)
Bramley (cooking)
Red Windsor
Winter banana
Cookers are labelled, remainder are eating apples which will produce at different times of season.
Kev from An English Homestead sells them and we can't praise him highly enough.  Excellent prices, brilliantly packaged and a wealth of information. 
It was a big job to fit into a Saturday, as there was a lot of clearing to get on with before we could plant them.  You may remember the front fence coming down, not a year after it went up (oops)?  Well that was the start of the mini orchard.


The area along the trellis was cleared except the huge plant in the middle.  Everything is being rehomed that was there.
 We rotavatored the patch and cleared it of debris, weeds and odds and sods.
 The Ste set about digging holes around 60-80cm apart so we can grow these trees as cordons.  They will be pruned when needed in the summer (next year Kev?) to restrict their growth.
 A total of 10 went in at these close intervals along the back row.  We have 2 left to go in, 1 of which is going in right about where Rodney is sniffing in the photo below!
This grass area will house other fruit and nut trees, all I need is chocolate and I might be on to something ;)

I'm really pleased with them and how they went in.  We followed instructions online, loosely.  A bucket or 2 of rotted muck went in with each of them along with a bamboo stick at 45 degree angle.  They will look great.  One is coming in to blossom already!

Finally, I'm really pleased to say my little blog won an award for "best smallholding blog" from Walton Blog awards.  There were only 13 nominations but I'm really pleased and would like to thank anyone that voted :)

13 comments:

  1. You are right about never having enough apple trees as they usually seem to have good years and then not so good so you need enough to make up for the not so good years

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    1. That's so true actually, I hadn't thought of that.

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  2. Well done on the blog award!
    I'm also glad you're pleased with the trees! Hope they grow well for you. I've still got a few to plant yet and need to get my him into gear and plant them.

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    1. Thank you, yes we have the other 2 to get in this weekend too.

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  3. Well done on the blog award!
    I'm also glad you're pleased with the trees! Hope they grow well for you. I've still got a few to plant yet and need to get my him into gear and plant them.

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  4. Great job with the trees. We are pleased to have space for a decent sized fruit area; so exciting to be able to pick your own fruit. Eeek! Again, congrats on the award. Have your views gone up?

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    1. Thanks Lou, oh I don't know, will have to check. Your fruit area is simply fab xx

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  5. I got a cider apple collection off Kev would recommend him to any one looking for fruit trees

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    1. I'm considering some of those next year for the river bank.

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  6. Congratulations on the blog award! And those pictures look lovely. Never heard of any of the apple varieties and will have to look them up. I'm especially intrigued by "winter banana" how on earth does an apple get that name?

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    1. Thank you :) I had my eyes opened too to the variety names, amazing isn't it?

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  7. Woo Hooo Blog award! ;) Good for you!

    I have to wait till we have found a new house before I can do any planning or buying :( I would especially like an apple tree called Empire. They are red red apples that look like Snow White would eat them. Unfortunately I hardly ever get to have them as they are imported from the USA and we have pledged to eat as much Brit produce as we can. But if there was a tree I would buy it would be that and a bramley to start with. I can eat apple sauce with everything!

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    1. Same here re the apple sauce, love it. If I come across the variety then I will let you know. I have my fingers crossed for you x

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