Apple An aday

John runs through the options available to those who want to grow apples – great as a healthy snack or in countless recipes

G rowing an apple tree has never been more popular.

The breeders have been busy creating forms suitable for any size of garden and it has not been lost on them that we want flavour, a good red skin colour, an apple that can store a few months and a tree that has strong, disease-resistant leaves able to withstand attacks of scab and mildew.

We do not need an apple that only grows to an even, commercial size, requires frequent spraying throughout the growing season to keep it pest and disease-free and has a long shelf life enhanced by even more chemicals.

Our home-grown apples are very healthy, as they have been grown without chemicals, apart from a spring dressing of fertilizer to get them growing strongly.

Today we have a choice ranging from large standard trees for the big gardens down to spindle bushes where all fruit is picked from the ground.

For those with very limited space, the choice is a fan, cordon, an oblique cordon or an espalier to plant against a wall or fence.

After this, tree forms get even smaller with the upright columnar Starlight tree range and the dwarf stepover forms to plant along the edges of borders.

A garden with an apple tree with bright red fruit will always impress, as they stand out from the crowd.

However, apples as a snack fit in very well with modern, busy lifestyles, and for those who can cook, the Bramley is perfect for numerous recipes.

For those who like to count the calories and are conscious of eating a healthy diet, a daily apple fits the bill. They are absolutely packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre. The apple season starts in August with the earliest varieties, like Oslin, but with cool, airy storage others will last until March.

Thereafter, if it is back to supermarket apples, remember to wash the skin thoroughly to remove any chemicals bombarded on the apples while in the orchard and, after harvesting, in the packing shed.

In terms of form and rootstocks, Rootstock M27 is very dwarfing so it is used for columnar shapes, dwarf pyramids and stepover trees.

Rootstock M9 is a dwarfing type used for cordons, dwarf bush and spindle trees but as it lacks vigour, the trees need permanent tree stakes Clockwise from main picture: apple Fiesta; apple Fiesta flowers in May; early apple Discovery; John carries out some winter work on the greenhouse; the Bramley apple gets some pruning.

Today we have a choice ranging from large standard trees for the big gardens down to spindle bushes where all fruit is picked from the ground

Pictures: John Stoa.