Which fruit trees?

Our orchard is made up of 12 trees – six planted in December 2010 and another six planted in January 2012. We chose a mixture of varieties of apples, plums and pears.

Planted in December 2010:

Pinova apple

Pinova is a cross between a Golden Delicious, Cox’s Orange Pippin and a Duchess of Oldenburg. Its fruits are crisp, with a taste that balances sweetness and tartness.

James Grieve apple

This is a savoury, juicy apple, which mellows as the fruit matures during September. James Grieve apples used to be grown all over Europe and were delivered to city markets via train or horse-and-cart, but because they bruised easily they had to be carefully packed in laundry-type wicker baskets filled with straw.

Concorde pear

The elegantly shaped Concorde is best identified by its long neck. Its yellow green skin often features a golden russet. The Concorde has a dense flesh that is sweet and juicy.

Greensleeves apple

Greensleeves’ is an apple tree with pale-pink flowers in spring followed by golden-green, sweet, crisp, edible fruit in autumn.

Victoria plum

The Victoria plum has a yellow flesh with red or mottled skin and it matures in mid-to-late September. The name “Victoria” comes from Queen Victoria. The variety was first discovered in a garden in Alderton, Sussex.

Williams pear

The Williams pear has a bell shape, and its green skin turns yellow later. The Williams pear is thought to date from 1765 to 1770 from the yard of an Aldermaston schoolmaster. A nurseryman named Williams introduced it to the rest of England.

Planted in January 2012:

Tydeman’s Late apple

A cross between ‘Laxton’s Superb’ and ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’, producing Cox-style apples with a sharper flavour. Early November harvests are intensely rich and aromatic with a tangy, sharp flavour. Later, the fruit mellows and sweetens.

Ouillins Golden Gage plum

An Oullins Golden Gage is a large, yellow fruit with dense, quite transparent flesh and fruity sweetness. The original tree was discovered by chance during the 1850’s in Coligny, near Lyons. The first man to sell the tree commercially decided to name it after his home town of Oullins.

Howgate Wonder apple

The Howgate Wonder, which first appeared on the Isle of Wight, produces huge fruits that are good for eating, cooking and juicing. The largest British apple ever was a Howgate Wonder, weighing 3lb 11oz.

Doyenne du Comice pear

Comice is considered to have the best flavour of any pear. Its yellow / green fruits are ready to eat from late September. Although originating from France it was well-known in England by the late 19th century.

Czar St Julien plum

Czar St Julien produces purple-blue fruits that darken and sweeten as they mature. Picked young, the blue skinned fruits make one of the best cooking plums. If left on the tree the skins darken to near black and the flesh becomes much sweeter. They were first produced in 1871 in Hertfordshire.

St Edmund’s Pippin apple

This is a tasty russet apple that ripens in September and was first produced in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. It is a juicy dessert apple with vanilla flavours. It can also be used to make cider.