Is my apple tree a ‘Golden Delicious’?
Tony Jaques, Stretford, Manchester
Stefan says: You tell me you bought a ‘Golden Delicious’ apple tree about a year ago and it produced two apples this year, although you say they don’t look like ‘Golden Delicious’. Indeed they don’t, because they’re not.
‘Golden Delicious’ is a vigorous American variety, even when on M26 (dwarfing) rootstock, but it doesn’t become reddish. Incidentally, gardeners will probably remember the fruit of ‘Golden Delicious’ when large quantities were imported from France, picked too early for selling in our supermarkets, and what a tasteless thing it was. Now, in our climate and eaten fresh I find it sweet and excellent.