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planning autumn plantings
Having got a bit more space and since we eat a lot of fruit Im having a think about planting some more. I am thinking about some tree fruit such as apple, pear, plum either as Minarett or cordon/ espalier and wondered if there is a lot of difference in ease of maintainance and levels of cropping?
Also if you have any specific recomendations on varienties?
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The fruit chapter in my Organic Gardening book is full of this kind of information. Apples are best to grow with vegetables and M9 rootstock is good for small gardens. Pixie rootstock for plums is good, otherwise they grow large and compete with plants nearby, much more than apples do. Cordons and espalier need more summer pruning and training than bush trees, but give proportionately more fruit and you can grow more trees in small spaces. Buy as one year maidens, which are cheaper and establish more quickly than two year old trees.
Thanks Charles. I have got the book but was still unclear on the benefits/ otherwise of bush vs cordon or espalier. Since maidens are significantly cheeper I think I will be trying my hand at those. Do plums work as well as Cordons?
I see what you mean, bush trees take up more space so cordons are brilliant if you have little room for a tree, and espaliers are like two dimensional bushes, needing more space than cordons.
All of them can be grown from maidens which is indeed the cheapest and often the most successful size for planting fruit trees. I have not tried plums as cordons!