Thursday 4 May 2017

An Apple A Day

I'm not sure my little apple tree will produce enough fruit to supply me with an apple a day but there's been plenty of blossom on it this year. It's starting to fade though now.


This little tree was bought back in 2012 with some money my mum and dad had given us for our wedding anniversary, it's a Gloster which produces red skinned apples with a crisp flesh. I'd intended to grow it in a container but after a couple of years I realised it wasn't doing so well so I found a spot for it in the garden and put it in the ground. It's certainly happier here as it's produced some decent sized harvests, in relation to the size of the tree, since then.


It's only a small tree, I bought it on dwarf rootstock (the part of the tree planted underground onto which the rest of the tree is grafted, and which determines the size to which it'll eventually grow) to keep it manageable, however, it's certainly grown since I bought it five years ago.


I'm hopeful for another good harvest this year.

46 comments:

  1. Hope you let us know what you harvest when ready, as I've been thinking about a few dwarf fruit trees, but not sure how well they go. Yours certainly looks pretty in flower. Take care.

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    1. I got a pretty decent harvest off the Gloster tree last year. You've got to remember though that these type of trees are very small so when you talk about a good harvest, it's in relation to the size of the tree. Something this small won't support as much fruit as a larger tree will.

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  2. We tried an apple in a pot too and it too was unhappy. Here's hoping for a good apple year. There's certainly been plenty of blossom.

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    1. I started off two apple trees, a cherry tree and a plum tree in containers, they're all in the ground now and they're all much happier.

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  3. It's certainly been a good year for blossom so fingers crossed that you'll get plenty of apples. xx

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    1. The blossom's been wonderful this year, I just hope that means we get a bumper fruit harvest.

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  4. Beautiful blossoms and how satisfying to bite into an apple from your own garden xx

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    1. I don't think you can beat growing your own fruit and veg. I miss having the allotment, we're not growing very much at the moment so we certainly appreciate the things we do produce ourselves.

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  5. We had a dwarf tree which we were unable to bring with us so my daughter has it in her garden and she says it is doing well. Must be a good year for apples.

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    1. There's definitely been a lot of blossom on the trees this year so it does look like it's going to be a good year for fruit. It's a shame you had to leave your tree behind but at least your daughter will enjoy having it.

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  6. Nice looking tree, fingers crossed for a lovely harvest, I like crisp apples,hate the soft floury ones xcx

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    1. I'm the same, I like apples that are quite tart too.

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  7. Pretty little tree, I wish apple trees would grow here, too hot and humid.

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    1. That's a shame. I'm sure there's lots of heat loving plants that you can grow which we wouldn't be able to over here.

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  8. The amount of blossom certainly hints that there'll be a good crop of apples. Let's hope that's right! :o)

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    1. Fingers crossed. I think fruit trees are a great addition to a garden, you get to enjoy the beautiful blossom in spring and then the fruit later on in the year.

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  9. Never tried a Gloster...will have to look out for them in the autumn at the local street market. Your tree looks nice and healthy.

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    1. I'd never heard of a Gloster before I bought the tree. It's definitely much happier in the ground than it was in a pot.

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  10. What a pretty little tree. I didn't realise you could grow them in containers. X

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    1. I've grown a few trees in containers but none of them have done particularly well, they're all faring much better in the ground.

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  11. A tree is the best promise in your garden, looking good all year, including the bare branches in winter, bloosom in spring and fruit.

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    1. That's true. It might only be a small tree but I have the bird bath next to it and the birds perch on the branches before going for a bath.

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  12. It certainly seems to have been a very good year for blossoms ... so hopefully you will have some tasty home-grown apples. Yum!

    All the best Jan

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    1. The blossom's been great this year so I'm hoping that means we'll have a bumper crop of apples, we'll see.

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  13. Such pretty blossom - hope your harvest is good.

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    1. I love this time of year when the blossom's out and this year has been particularly good, I do hope that means we're going to be harvesting lots of fruit later in the year.

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  14. Looking out how it was when it was planted it's amazing to see how it has flourished over the years! Love this time of year when all the trees are in blossom. Good luck with the harvest!
    Hope it's a tasty one.
    Lisa x

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    1. It's never going to be a big tree but it's certainly grown since I bought it. I had no idea how this variety of apple tasted before I bought it but I'm pleased to report that it's delicious, and all the more so because it's home grown.

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  15. I'm so excited for you - all those blossoms! My little apple trees are a bit younger, having only been planted a couple of years ago and have yet to produce a harvest. One of them has flowered but I pinched off the baby fruits to let the tree get better established. This year, however, I'm hoping to harvest a few fruits - finally! We are a bit further behind than you are, so no flowers yet but I'm keeping an eye out.

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    1. I think it's really exciting when you plant something that's going to be in the garden for years and, hopefully, supplying you with fruit over a long period. I get quite impatient waiting for the first taste but it's always worth it once it does fruit for the first time.

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  16. I hope you get lots of apples from your little tree, my sister used to have 3 plum trees at a previous house and we always used to love picking them my eldest, Jenny has got an apple tree but as this is their first year there she has no idea if they are edible yet.

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    1. I think it's exciting when you move to a new house, the garden can throw up lots of surprises and it's exciting finding out all about it. I've got a little plum tree in my garden, it had leaf curl last year and I didn't get a single plum off it, I'm hoping for better this year.

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  17. Don't the flowers look big, perhaps you'll get large apples too. Exciting.

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    1. The apples I've harvested from the tree in the past have been on the small size, but packed with flavour.

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  18. I'm looking forward to seeing your harvest :)

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  19. I forgot to say, we used to have a big apple tree in our garden when I was growing up. It's lovely to be able to harvest fruit like that :)

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    1. My tree is only very small, we just don't have the room for a large tree, though it would be lovely to have one.

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  20. Looks like you will get a good few apples from all those blossoms. I am very impressed, Jo, as fruit trees are NOT my forte. P. x

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    1. I hope so, the harvest last year was good and I don't remember there being so much blossom so we may get even luckier this time round, time will tell.

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  21. All our fruit trees have lots of blossom this year, hopefully we will have lots of fruit.

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    1. It sounds like it's going to be a good fruit year if the blossom's anything to go by.

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  22. Oh I hope that your little apple tree fruits well this year Jo. I've watered my trees at the allotment this morning. Have done it before but never so early in the year!

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    1. Things are looking good so far, I just hope nothing happens to jeopardise a good harvest. We're forecast rain over the next few day, it's certainly needed.

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  23. It looks like you will be getting plenty of fruit! My fruit trees have never done well in pots either, they seem to like to push their roots deep into the ground. I think it will be a good year for apples, pears and plums.xxx

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    1. My poor cherry tree had managed to poke its roots right through the half barrel it was being grown in, seeking out more space I presume. It's doing much better now its in the ground, along with my two apple trees and plum tree.

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