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TASTY ,TASTY ,VERY TASTY!
In association with Gareth Austin from Horkan's garden Centre
Ever since Adam bit into the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, apples have been the stuff of myth and legend. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed them to be aphrodisiacs, and for the Celts crab apples were a symbol of fertility. In the middle ages, the cult of the apple continued in such customs as apple bobbing at Halloween.
The most popular of all fruits, apples are also convenient, perfect for eating raw as a nutritious snack and ideal for making into a multitude of hot and cold puddings and deserts. There are thousands of named varieties worldwide, but the choice of those available to buy is ,sadly, decreasing year by year. However, because apples can now be grown in every temperate country in the world, some varieties can be found in the shops all year round. Delicious as the may be, no shop bought apples can ever beat the flavour and crisp texture of home grown apples that have been freshly picked.
Apples come in many shapes and sizes, from tiny cherry-sized crab apples Red Sentinel to huge cooking varieties like Howgate Wonder. Colours range from bright, shiny red through vivid greens, yellows and pale creamy-white to golden russet, while the skins may be ultra-thin or unpalatably thick. As for taste and texture there is an almost infinite variety- something to suit every palate, from crisp and sour to soft and sweet. And indeed growing apples in your garden is no longer the strict avail of skilled gardeners or orchard owners, with the Coronet range of apple trees every gardener can get pleasure from the enormous satisfaction of growing and eating your own apples.
Tell me more about these 'Coronet' apple trees
Coronet apple trees are dwarf growing apples trees, reaching a height of around 5½ feet tall with a 3ft canopy and are ideal for growing in pots and containers on the patio or in nice groups of 3 or 5 in the lawn. Coronet apple trees are better than larger types as the require almost no pruning and with then being small you can even pick the fruit from the very top of the tree so that none are wasted. HAPPY DAYS!
I like a nice eating apple, what varieties can I plant now?
Now is an ideal time to plant Coronet apple trees, some of the best eating apples available now include:
Beauty of Bath
A beautiful small flattish green apple extensively flushed with red, with sharp, sweet juicy flesh. Beauty of Bath apples are best eaten straight from the tree, as they rot almost as soon as they are picked. A variety rarely sold in shops. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Cox's Orange Pippin
A greenish-yellow apple of medium size, with some orange-red russetting. The firm crisp, juicy flesh of this sweet fruit, with its overtones of acidity make it one of the world best and most popular apples. Cox's Orange Pippin are excellent for cooking as well as eating raw.
Horky's tip:
Spray your fruit trees each December with Armillatox to kill any over wintering pests and diseases and ensure a fresh, clean start to each growing season. This is essential to prevent serious problems such as canker developing.Discovery
Bred from Worcester Pearmain, Discovery was the first apple to be commercially grown in Britain. It is particularly attractive for its highly coloured bright red skin and contrasting hard, crisp white flesh. Best-eaten straight form the tree.
Egremont Russet
Russet apples have rough, porous skins which all the water to evaporate out, giving a denser flesh and intensifying the nutty flavour. Egremont Russet is the most readily available. It is golden russet I n colour, sometimes with a bright orange flush, and has a crisp texture and very sweet taste. It can be used for eating or cooking and goes superbly with cheese. Egremount Russet will keep until December and seems to resist most pests and diseases.
Horky's tip:
When plating Coronet Apple trees into containers, plant Karan strawberry plants around the base to give added colour and fruit-giving interest. The two plants will grow happily in partnership with each other and benefit from the same feeding.
Elstar
This sweet, crips and juicy apple is a related to the famous Golden Delicious. Originally bred in Holland, it is now grown extensively throughout Europe. Picked in mid-autumn, Elstar apples will keep for 3-4 months.
James Grieve
A Scottish apple raised in Edinburgh in the late nineteenth century, with tart, juicy flesh that bruises easily when handled. James Grieve is good fro cooking and eating, but, like most early varieties, it does not store well and should be kept for no longer that 2-3 weeks before eating.
Jonagold
Another hybrid of the famous Golden Delicious, this large round green-tinged yellow apple has creamy-white flesh and superb flavour. It can be used for cooking or eating.
Katy
A highly coloured early apple bred in Sweden from the Worcester Pearmain. Their small size appeals to children, and their flesh is crisp, sweet and juicy. Katy apples are best eaten immediately after picking.
Free advice from Qualified Horticulturists!
Remember you can contact the Quality Award Winning Garden Centre team on 071 38870 for all your gardening queries, and also you can Email us on info@gardencentre.ie We look forward to hearing from you.
And what good cooking apple trees can I plant now?
Unfortunately, cooking apples are not grown on the Coronet root stock yet. But, the most popular way of growing them is on a semi-dwarfing root stock, which means they will grow to around 9ft.
Some of the best to look out for include:
Bramleys Seedling
The nonpareil of cookers, this large, flattish green apple (sometimes faintly flushed with red) has coarse, white juicy, acid flesh, which cooks into a frothy puree. Bramleys are perfect for baking or as the basis for apple sauce.
Howgate Wonder.
The 'big boy' of the apple world!. This apple can grow to an enormous size - in 1997, the world record was achieved with a specimen weighing 3lb 14oz (1.6kg)! Certainly a apple to grow for some fun.
Horky Says:
Remember good planting is one of the keys to success with fruit trees. When planting incorporate Nursery Stock compost into the planting hole, around 20l is ideal and always stake young trees well. Nursery stock compost contains a 12 month slow release Osmocote fertiliser, this ensures that in its first year your tree never misses its dinner. Apply Sulphate of Potash around the base of each tree in early Spring and Autumn for a super show of blossom and fruit each year.
Good solid, Irish grown plants ready for planting now.
So don't delay get in there when the selection is best.
Horkans Garden Centres Sligo and Castlebar are open 7 days a week Mon-Sat till 6.30pm, Sun 12-6.
Dear Horky.....,
The North West's only Gardening Agony uncle!THIS WEEKS STAR LETTER:
Dear Horky,
Dear Horky, I want to grow and apple for eating that is ripe in August and September. Can you suggest varieties that I could grow?
- D Swindwells, Manorhamilton.Dear Madam,
One of the best early apples is "Discovery". This can be eaten in late August and early Sepetember. Pick the fruits in Mid-August. The red apples are attractive to look at and also have good flavour.Dear Horky, I planted two apple trees in my garden last winter. they are growing well and fruitlets have now formed. I am now told that I should have nipped out the blossom to prevent the trees fruiting in their first year. Is this true?
- P Gallagher, EnniskillenDear Sir,
Yes, newly planted trees should not be allowed to bear fruit in their first season and you should nip out the fruitlets that have formed. The trees must be allowed to make a good root sytem before they takle on the strains of bearing fruit. Next year only allow a light crop to form. The aim should be to allow the trees to make good growth before allowing them to carry fruit.
You can send all your gardening questions to Dear Horky, Horkans Garden Centre, Spencer Street, Castlebar and we'll make sure he replies to everyone. Keep those letters coming! Each letter printed will win £20 of plants for the garden.
Remember for all your gardening questions we are only a click of the mouse away on www.gardencentre.ie and you can E-mail us on info@gardencentre.ie
We look forward to hearing from you.
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