Lucy’s top tips
Your guide to glorious apples
■ Taste a selection of apples, then buy your tree. Flavour is subjective – look to farm shops and open gardens for ideas.
■ Specialist fruit nurseries offer the widest choice of rootstocks, shapes and varieties – and they can also advise on pollination.
■ Choose a sunny site for trees that isn’t exposed to strong winds. Aim to plant between late October and late February.
■ Very dwarf rootstocks need heavy feeding to gain good crops; moderately vigorous rootstocks produce trees that are easier to manage.
■ Fertile soils and vigorous trees are happy with grass beneath them. Switch to mulched earth on lighter, drier soils to reduce competition.
■ Ensure trees are staked and well watered during their formative years to build up a robust root system that will support them in maturity.