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Recommendations for dual purpose apple

n.young.86n.young.86 Posts: 10
in Fruit & veg
Hi, I'm looking to get an apple tree for the garden. It's not a massive garden so we don't have room for lots of trees so maybe these critiera are too specific but I'd love some feedback and recommendations.

- good crunch and sweet eating raw
- cooks well (as in good for keeping some shape and texture in pies and chutneys.
- self pollinating
- English heritage variety (some nice sorry behind it)
- self pollinating or doesn't requite another fruit tree nearby

Maybe it's too specific but it's for life and I'd like to get it right. Plus it's a gift for my husband as he's been wanting one for ages as a reminder of his childhood at his grandparents. 

Hope someone can help. Thanks so much!!! 

Posts

  • n.young.86n.young.86 Posts: 10
    *some nice STORY
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Leicestershire, UKPosts: 11,391
    edited August 2019
    There are few self-pollinating apples so that is the main limiting factor in your requirements.  Cox's Orange Pippin isn't the easiest to grow but fulfils all of your requirements and is a superb classic apple.  There are some other self-pollinating varieties here:

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • n.young.86n.young.86 Posts: 10
    BobTheGardener said:
    There are few self-pollinating apples so that is the main limiting factor in your requirements.  Cox's Orange Pippin isn't the easiest to grow but fulfils all of your requirements and is a superb classic apple.  There are some other self-pollinating varieties here:

    Thanks Bob! If you don't mind me asking for even more advice, what isn't easy about it? Forgive me, never gorwn a tree before let alone one I want good fruit from. Thanks! Sounds like a delicious apple! 
  • steephillsteephill Posts: 2,620
    edited August 2019
    One thing to consider is the size of the tree. You can get many varieties on a range of different rootstocks so you should be able to get something which will be the right size for your garden. If you have enough room then a crab apple on a dwarfing rootstock would help with pollination of your main apple as well as being decorative.

    Another alternative is what is known as a family tree which has several compatible varieties grafted onto one rootstock. If the varieties are chosen carefully they should have equal vigour which makes life easier for future maintenance. 
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Leicestershire, UKPosts: 11,391
    I've found it to be a bit more prone to pests and diseases than modern varieties and in some years fruit set has been quite poor.  I also have a 'family' tree so that's another option as steephill mentions.  That way you can grow a 'proper' cooking apple with one or two eating apples, all grafted onto one tree, although you'll need to read up on pruning to get the best out of a family tree.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • wild edgeswild edges The north west of south east WalesPosts: 8,889
    What sort of area do you live in? Urban or semi-rural? You'd probably be surprised by the amount of apple trees tucked away in some locations and anything within a mile or so will cross pollinate. I bought 2 trees for my garden in a matching pollination group and it turned out they bloom at different times of the year. We still get plenty of apples though luckily because of other trees in the area.
    Tradition is just peer pressure from dead people
  • MarlorenaMarlorena East AngliaPosts: 7,138
    ..do consider 'James Grieve'... it meets all your requirements, is at least partially self fertile... and tastes delicious.. it would be my first choice if I was growing apples I think..   I would also suggest not to get a variety that's readily available in the supermarkets.. just a personal thing, but I can't see the point in that... 

    https://www.orangepippintrees.co.uk/apple-trees/james-grieve
  • pansyfacepansyface PEAK DISTRICT DerbyshirePosts: 21,260
    Just noticed this thread, sorry.

    Cox’s Orange Pippin, though a very popular apple and a very tasty one, is prone to diseases.

    https://www.orangepippintrees.co.uk/apple-trees/coxs-orange-pippin


    A more modern variety, which has a similar taste to Cox’s Orange Pippin, and has greater disease resistance than Cox, is Christmas Pippin.

    For a bit of apple porn window shopping, take a look at the apples with stories attached to them on this website.

    http://www.bernwodeplants.co.uk/applebackground.htm

    They also explain which rootstock you should ask for the variety you choose to be grafted onto in order for it to attain the correct height for your garden.
    Apophthegm -  a big word for a small thought.
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