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New allotment - far too many fallen apples...

DrJonBearDrJonBear Posts: 2
in Fruit & veg
I've just taken on a rather neglected old allotment finally after 5 years of waiting (irrelevant but hey), and there is a very productive and established apple tree on there which has carpeted half of my allotment with apples. I've so far filled a tonne bag and there is still a bunch to go.

My question: I don't have much else to mix with them at the moment, so was thinking mix with a bunch of sawdust, plus the bits and bobs I clear over the next month or so. Will that sufficiently create compost or do we think I need other things?

P.s. Yes, I'm leaving some to one side for the birds :-)

Posts

  • wild edgeswild edges The north west of south east WalesPosts: 4,726
    What kind of composters do you use? Apple can go very sludgy in daleks and attracts rodents in heaps. I prefer to leave them out for the animals to deal with. There'll be nothing left of them in a few months.
  • DrJonBearDrJonBear Posts: 2
    edited December 2018
    None as yet, planning on erecting some pallet cubes this weekend though; could always dig them in once cleared.

  • pansyfacepansyface PEAK DISTRICT DerbyshirePosts: 16,669
    edited December 2018
    Are they a nice variety of apple? 

    I only ask because I have a Bramley in my garden and I put boxes of them out on the drive each autumn with an honesty box, some bags, and a sign telling people to help themselves and, if they would like, to donate to a named charity.

    This autumn I collected £120 from that one tree.

    Obviously, not something you could do this year, but maybe next.
    Apophthegm -  a big word for a small thought.
  • Guernsey Donkey2Guernsey Donkey2 Posts: 6,656
    That's a brilliant idea Pansyface - we do similar, although we actually charge £1 for a bag full, it helps to pay for the running of the garden (plants, seeds, bonemeal etc.).  If you want to compost your apples Drjonbear, add any small plant prunnings, paper, cardboard, fallen leaves etc and turn the compost to help it break down more quickly.
  • steephillsteephill Posts: 1,167
    Is there a community cider project in your area? For community ciders the more varieties of apple the better. There is also a commercial venture here which takes garden apples to make cider and gives you some of it back as payment.

    Our local National Trust ranger runs an apple day where they make juice and cider from apples people bring along. They inherited some heavy duty Victorian cider kit from a local producer which everybody has a go with to make the juice.

    I have my own kit and make about 10 gallons most years from my trees which include eaters, cookers and cider varieties. I suspect that any cider you are able to make would be very popular down the allotment!
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