Apple trees front or back garden

km79

Hoping to plant 3 or 4 bare root apple trees in next few weeks but have a dilemma !
Basically I have loads of room front and back but here is the problem.
Back garden is south facing. However back half of it gets wet and also is very exposed.
Front garden is north facing but is not blocked off to the front so it does get some sun and would be sheltered better by the house.
Really my question is are apple trees decorative enough for the front garden ?
I had a place picked out in back for a little orchard but realistically even after getting drainage done the ground gets too wet .
TIA

pool8

they would be decorative enough, would you not consider putting them in the middle of a bed with other fruits such as rhubarb,pears,blackberries and other fruit bushes. with regard to the drainage system did you get it done and if not use land drainage pipe along with some stone.

Bodhran

I think having apple trees in a front garden would be asking for trouble from kids "robbing the orchard" unless your front garden is not visible from the road.

looksee

Bodhran wrote: »

I think having apple trees in a front garden would be asking for trouble from kids "robbing the orchard" unless your front garden is not visible from the road.

Kids don't seem to be aware that the things hanging from (apple) trees are edible. There is a tree that overhangs the footpath on our estate, laden with apples in the autumn, and the kids don't bother.

km79

Kids won't be a problem in my area. I'm still thinking about putting them in the back. Apart from being wet in parts it probably is the best option

pool8

is it possible to put some drainage in the back, besides that they should be ok unless there is torrential flooding.

km79

Got the drainage done 2 years ago and has made a massive difference. But the very back still gets very soggy. I would want a good long dry spell before I would even consider digging back there. That is the crux of my dilemma . It will probably be summer before it's dry enough and then it will be back to full price rather than bare root trees ....
If get a dry Feb I'll chance it I think

pool8

what about bare rooted and if possible pot it in soil until you want to plant in garden, or plant in garden and back fill with stone and soil to allow for some soakage.

km79

Yeah but my main problem is actually walking on and digging in that area. I don't want to compact the soil . I'll just cross my fingers for one dry month before end of bare root season
I think I'll go with back garden anyway

km79

Another question on this . How far apart should fruit trees be planted ? Is their a recommended min and max ?

Northumbria

km79 wrote: »

Hoping to plant 3 or 4 bare root apple trees in next few weeks but have a dilemma !
Basically I have loads of room front and back but here is the problem.
Back garden is south facing. However back half of it gets wet and also is very exposed.
Front garden is north facing but is not blocked off to the front so it does get some sun and would be sheltered better by the house.
Really my question is are apple trees decorative enough for the front garden ?
I had a place picked out in back for a little orchard but realistically even after getting drainage done the ground gets too wet .
TIA

Apple trees have nice, white blossom on in spring and are very ornamental.



As for the drainage in your back garden, well its not so good for fruit trees but a few will do better than others. Try raising a slight mound that will be above the water level to keep the water away from the trunk.
I'd put some compost and a loose soil around it, not clay or heavy loam since its poor draining enough. Not too sandy though.

Yeah but my main problem is actually walking on and digging in that area. I don't want to compact the soil . I'll just cross my fingers for one dry month before end of bare root season
I think I'll go with back garden anyway

Ah, clay then. I don;t think you;d do much damage. Get a big, flat piece of wood and walk on that to spread your weight if you don't want to walk on it.

Another option and probably a better one for your situation would be a large raised bed.
This one should be perfect, you could probably make something like that too.


http://www.waltons.co.uk/standard-raised-bed-1800x900x150

That would be suitable for most bare root trees - M9, M27 and perhaps a few others.