Fruit tree choice for Irish climate

paddylonglegs

Hi there. I am at the beginning of planning an area of garden to contain some fruit trees. I was gifted 2 apple trees last year, and would like to add another pair, and a cooking apple tree.

I would in time, like to add other fruit trees to the area. The space is relatively sheltered and mostly gets sun in the spring to autumn months. . Are there any variety of eating apple that you recommend and any other fruit tree have worked well for you?

thank you.

looksee

The cooker would have to be a Bramley, imo. Great value as they are the best for cooking, freeze well and are pretty reliable. Can't help with the eating apples I'm sorry. I have inherited 3 and planted another one, but I don't know what any of them are. One was so insipid that it has been taken out, the others produce nice apples but this raises the point I would make about planting more - are you sure you are going to use them? They all come at once, they need space and attention to store and you would have to be eating quite a lot of them to get through the product of 2 trees, another 2 might be just surplus.

I also have an inherited pear, a mature tree on a small rootstock, it appears (and tastes) like a Conference. They are a bit fussy to ripen but they are just delicious. I froze a lot of the last crop - you really have a window of barely a week to eat them fresh - and while they thaw out soft they are very nice. However it didn't fruit at all the first two years, the next year it had two pears and this last year it had about 20, so I'm not sure what the secret is.

Seth Brundle

I've Discovery (easting apple) as well as Bramley (cooker). The Discovery is lovely (the wasps also think so as I've to get the fruit before them).

Another option if you have enough apples might be a Hazel? I've two in the garden and last Autumn I collected a big bucketful of nuts from them.

wench

I've a Victoria Plum that is doing nicely. Took a couple of years to get established, but now produces a good crop of sweet juicy plums.

paddylonglegs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121723234#Comment_121723234

Thanks for this advice, and it might be wise to rethink more apple trees. Do you need 2 bramleys to cross pollinate or will it work off the other 2 trees?

paddylonglegs

A good shout, and agree they are a lovely fruit tree to have.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121723343#Comment_121723343

looksee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121726771#Comment_121726771

I hadn't given any thought to how it is pollinated. . Apparently they need two other trees to pollinate, though not Bramley. There seems to be a wide range of pollinators, including crab apples but I haven't studied the situation.

Shoog

Not enough information to advise really. All the fruit trees are variants of malus on malus rootstock. They need well drained soil and warm conditions. If you fail on either then fruiting will be sporadic or non-existent. All the great fruit growing areas are in the fertile east and mainly in the south east.

mehico

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121723323#Comment_121723323

Do you know what type of Hazel trees you have and how long it took for them to produce nuts? We planted two Hazels about 3 years ago but no fruit yet of either.

Shoog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121727085#Comment_121727085

Are you on limestone ? Hazel will grow on anything but will only reliably fruit when grown on limestone based soil. We have had some on acid clay for over a decade and though they set nuts occasionally they never ripen and usually drop and rot.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121727085#Comment_121727085

Corylus avellana and Corylus avellana Red Majestic

Wasn't aware of the limestone requirement @Shoog mentions.

MacDanger

Probably not a runner unless you live in the south east but a fig tree might be worth trying?

Supercell

Greengage, thank me later, far and away my favourite fruit tree. My kids concur!

looksee

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121728692#Comment_121728692

I bought a fig last year, reduced at the end of the season, not much more than a twig, but I knew I would not have either the facilities or dedication to mind it so I gave it to my dil. She kept it in a greenhouse (as you are supposed to do for the first 2 or 3 seasons) and this year it has produced a fig! Its apparently a Norwegian variety that is very hardy and suited to this climate. We are in the south east.

iniscealtra

https://futureforests.ie/products/apple-irish-peach

Lovely apple.

p

magicbastarder

we've a belvedere house apple tree, got it from irish seed savers 8 or 10 years ago. crops well, and is technically a cooker but is about halfway between a dessert and a cooking apple. i have made nice light cider from them too. the flesh is bright pink and the juice looks like ribena so it has a good novelty value too.

i would suggest irish seed savers to buy from - you'll get good advice and fruit trees which should do well in our climate.

The Macho Man

I'm in no way affiliated with this company but I highly recommend as they stock many heritage Irish varieties, got an Ard Cairn russet and Scarlet Crofton off them as well as a Swedish plum variety called Opal.

https://futureforests.ie/