Apples
A British garden staple, providing delicious fruit for eating, cooking, and juicing. With thousands of varieties, there's an apple for every taste and garden size.
Apples (Dwarf tree)
£24.99 in the shop
Calendar
Sow
Propagation is typically by grafting in late winter/early spring onto rootstock, or planting bare-root trees November–March.
Plant out
November–March for bare-root trees; container-grown trees can be planted year-round, avoiding waterlogged or frozen soil.
Harvest
Late August – October, depending on variety.
Conditions
Sun
Full sun, 6+ hours a day for best fruiting.
Water
Keep young trees consistently moist; established trees need watering during dry spells, especially when fruit is developing.
Soil
Deep, fertile, well-drained loam, pH 6.0–7.0. Avoid heavy clay or very sandy soils.
Spacing
Varies greatly by rootstock: dwarf (M27) 1.5–2.5m, semi-dwarf (M26) 2.5–3.5m, vigorous (MM106) 3.5–5m+.
Containers
Dwarf rootstocks (M27, M9) are suitable for large containers (min. 50cm diameter) with diligent watering and feeding.
Indoors
Not suitable for indoor growing.
Care and harvest
Feeding
Apply balanced general-purpose fertiliser in early spring; supplement with high potash feed for fruiting trees if growth is slow.
Pruning
Winter prune (Dec–Feb) to shape and remove dead/diseased wood; summer prune (Jul–Aug) to improve light and air circulation, and restrict growth.
Harvesting
Pick when apples are fully coloured, detach easily with a slight twist, and taste ripe. Avoid pulling too hard.
Storage
Early varieties are best eaten fresh. Late varieties can be stored in a cool, dark, frost-free place (e.g., shed) for several weeks to months.
Good companions: Chives, Nasturtiums, Dandelions