Recommendations for a mini orchard

[Jenny Green]

I'd echo the warning about family trees. I've heard they don't tend to grow very well. I've got three trees on M9 rootstock planted 4 years ago I think and they are still tiny! You can have too much of a good thing. The varieties are Pixie, Winston and Jonagold (a triploid). I'd recommend the first two as good, reliable croppers with good disease resistance. They keep well too.
The pears I've got are Beth and Durondeau, which are both good, and I've got Oullin's Golden Gage and another one I can't remember. The Oullin's is heavenly but needs to be kept well watered to crop properly. My soil is a medium clay.
I would go for modern varieties if you're serious about getting a crop with little effort. The heritage varieties can be good too but you're taking more of a risk. Stick with something that's been around a good few years, though, rather than a brand new introduction.

[Tigger]

The tree suppliers - Matthews - are hard to beat and, for the first time this year, will accept individual orders rather than trade. I'm happy to post details if anyone would find it useful. All of our orchard plantings are from Matthews and we haven't found anyone better.

[June]

Hello again everyone
Many thanks for all the really useful advice.
I would appreciate the details from Matthews.
I think I'm going to go for standard trees for apples and plums on semi-dwarfing or dwarf rootstock and minarettes for the pears.
I've also realised the plums tend to be both dessert and culinary, so I'll get an early and late variety.
My mind's still boggling with all the choice!! (Just need to sort out all my soft fruit next!!)
Thanks again, June.

[Jenny Green]

Sorry to confuse you with more information June but you'll probably get a better fruit set on your plums if you get two that flower at the same time, rather than an early and a late variety, even if they are self-fertile. This has been my experience anyway.

[June]

Yes, I am totally confused!
The two plum varieties I'd looked at are described in one catalogue as both pollination group C even though one ripens mid August and the other late September. However, same two varieties are elsewhere described as pollination groups D & E (!) My understanding was though that trees from adjacent groups are OK. I would definitely agree however that the description of plums being self-fertile is somewhat misleading if the cropping of (more like lack of!)the solitary Victoria plum we have at home is anything to go by!
Thanks for the warning though, June.

[Johnboy]

Hi June,
If you go to this website and click Plums on the home page which is in the introductory paragraph.
Find your Plum and click on that then click on Pollinators. The best pollinators are in heavy type.
This is a very reliable source of information.
www.keepers-nursery.co.uk/
Hope this assists you.
JB.

[June]

Hi JB
Thanks for that. I'd already looked there and found the two varieties described as D & E. It was Ken Muir who described them both as group C (somthing wrong there, surely!)
The Keepers Nursery site looks excellent (thanks also to Peter for mentioning this earlier in my thread) and I'll definitely be browsing it for a while!! (phew, all this for a few trees!!)
Thanks, June.

[peter]

Aah, but remember how long you could have them for.

Most allotment stuff is annual, asparagus being an obvious exception.

Soft fruit is there for some years, dependant upon what type.

Apple's plums and pears should out-last you.

So some time spent considering what you want is probably well spent.

Especially if you have ever had to dig up a full sized un-productive apple tree or two.....