I get such a thrill when I see a heavily laden tree ripe with rosy apples. I think of the apples given away, bottled into sauce or made into pies. I think of the blackbirds that so love a rotten fallen apple. I think of the worms, wasps, maggots and microbes that take the rotting flesh back into the soil. I think of the ladybirds that will shelter over winter in the craggy edges of the tree’s bark, and the mistle thrush that will wipe the sticky mistletoe berries off its beak and thus deposit them into hollows where long-gone branches grew. I think of the mason bees and hoverflies that will pollinate the blossom in spring, and of the many moulds, rusts and strange fungi that will inhabit worlds I cannot see over the surface of the tree, both above and below.
A whole world then, growing, being with, resting on and coming to the tree; the tree as a home; the trees as part of your home.
And now is the time to plant them. Fruit trees are available from November to early spring as bare-root plants. This means they are dug up, the soil is washed off the root, then they’re wrapped for transport and sent out as quickly as possible. It’s a much cheaper – and more environment- friendly – way to grow trees. As there’s no soil on the roots, the trees cost less to transport, so the price is lower. A bare-root maiden (a year-old tree) can still be had for less than £20, which, considering the talent it takes to select, graft and grow that tree, is one of life’s bargains.
Nearly all fruit trees will come on a different rootstock. This means it is grafted on to the trunk of a young tree that will grow to a determined size. M9 is a dwarf – it won’t grow much larger than a human adult with their arms outstretched and is best for courtyards, for the very smallest fruit trees, called stepovers, and for small cordons. It will also produce apples the fastest. It must be staked and won’t stand any sort of competition from other plants.
M26 is semi-dwarfing, so perfect for a terrace back garden. It will need staking for its entire life but is a very pretty size. MM106 is slightly larger, for those with a lawn, say, who want a tree big enough to sit under one day. M25 is like the motorway: big and vigorous. It’s the tree for a swing, and you will need a fruit-picking ladder.
As for varieties, go local and go for flavour – I like old-fashioned, less-sugary varieties, such as Pitmaston Pineapple, Worcester Pearmain or Lord Lambourne – and if you are planting more than one tree, add one that stores well (try Blenheim Orange, Howgate Wonder, Ashmead’s Kernel or Winter Gem) so you can smugly pull out your own apples to go with the cheese plate at Christmas.
