Kitchen Garden Forum

I see in the press today that an allotment holder has just received an eviction notice for planting fruit trees on his allotment.

I'm wondering about the desirability of planting fruit trees on allotments. Is it generally allowed? I would have thought that over time they would have grown so tall that they provided unwelcome shade to other plot holders because of their height.

I'm assuming that 'Fruit trees not allowed' was clearly stated in his allotment agreement.

I'm no expert when it comes to fruit trees but trees on the relatively confined space of an allotment would, as Primrose says, surely cause problems for neighbouring plots in time due to shading.

VPM
x

I would feel sorry for the person who took on this plot after it was vacated by the previous tenant.

Depends on the tree doesn't it.

A dwarfing rootstock apple would make, when pruned properly, a cup that would be around five foot tall and three foot radius, starting about one to two foot off the ground.

A bramleys seedling on a non-dwarfing rootstock would be twenty foot foot high about fifteen foot radius and unprunable.

Wonder which types I've inherited with the school garden? Got 1 plum, 1 pear and an apple tree planted last summer. Never had to look after fruit trees before.

Peter,

If I make a note of the variety of each (they have tags) and post them here would you be able to tell me what we've got and what, if anything, I need to do to them please?

VPM
x

Go to keepers nursery website, they're an Isle of Wight based firm. They have very good information on many apple varieties and rootstocks, its where I'd go for information.

http://www.keepers-nursery.co.uk/stock.aspx?fruittype=0

Lol - thanks Peter. Will do

VPM
x

Hi Peter,
The address for Keepers Nursery is;

Keepers Nursery, Gallants Court, East Farleigh, Maidstone, Kent ME15 0LE, England
Telephone: 01622 726465 Fax: 0870 705 2145

I think you are confusing Keepers Nursery with Deacons Nursery another very good supplier who are on IOW.
JB.

I have quite a few trees on my plots but I keep them to a manageable size. Many plot holders are now planting maybe 2 or 3 trees on 5 rod plots and not giving any thought to their size of growth or how they will affect their neighbours plot. Then when they can't cope, up and leave. This and with all the fencing it is becoming a shanty town never mind an allotment.

Sorry on my soap box again.

Beryl.

in an ideal world nothing larger than M26 rootstock should be allowed on allotments & should all be kept to one end of the plot in a similar way to the general rules on positioning of sheds & greenhouses.

Im guessing if you had a corner allotment or one by a fence it would be a different matter, but its understandable, as allotments arent permenent so of course they wont want trees being plantd

I would suggest that step-over trees are the answer because they can be grown without causing offence to anybody. I have seen an allotment with the entire perimeter planted up with these trees and it looked wonderful.
JB.

The 30' north end of both my plots borders the track, one and a half cars wide, so on one plot I put up straining wires and have two espalier trained apples, a Bramley and a Catshead.

That's how I trained mine to. Acts as a wind break and doesn't cast shadow on anyone else's plots.

Not sure about step-overs JB. A good idea if you know what you are about. Not many new plotholders do.

Beryl.

Hi Beryl,
The pruning of step-over fruit trees is probably easier to understand than normal pruning and my father in law had them in his garden but that is a long time back. They seem to have taken a bashing fashion wise and are looked upon as old fashioned which is a great shame. They can offend nobody and they take nobody's light whereas any trees planted on an allotment even the miniatures if not pruned correctly can cause real arguments.
JB.