Kitchen Garden Forum

There's been a lot of criticism on the Forum over the years regarding the superficial, entrtainment-focused standard of gardening programmes on TV. I'd just like to say three cheers for an intelligent programme on the British apple by Chris Beardshaw on Wednesday. Tucked away on BBC4, of course, but I don't mind that if we could have more in similar vein.

I could not agree more Ken, this was indeed an excellent programme and for me especially good to see my old cider boy Roger Wilkins was featured. Roger is a true cider boy who makes some of the very best traditional cider. Apple orchards are making a bit of a come back and I hope it continues. This programme was indeed enjoyable and informative.

Excellent indeed.
We were given an old apple tree that somebody had heavily pruned and then dug up but belatedly decided it might be some use to somebody. It took and slowly regained a sensible shape and started cropping. We thought they were very nice apples, fairly early crisp eater, so we took some to an apple day at Harlow Carr. They couldn't work out what they were so asked for more information. We went back the next year with more fruit and photographs of the tree and its blossom and they asked us to leave it with them. They got back to us and said it was Laxton's Epicure so it was good to see somebody on that programme saying it was the best variety ever.
I'm also watching the Botany series but haven't caught up with my recordings yet, enjoyed the first one.

Hi Barney,
There are massive Cider Apple orchards going in hereabouts. Also Apples for Juicing. There must be at least ten that I know about and there will be many more that I know nothing about.
JB.

Hopefully we will see more English apples in the shops soon then, wh I lived in paddock wood there were many orchards around and one wonderful big cherry orchard with huge trees.

Natures Babe. It's up to us the public to buy whenever possible English apples & not those that have traveled halfway around the world.

Hi NB,
Today modern Cherries are grown on dwarfing rootstock which means the fruits can be protected and easily picked. Gone are the days of the massive Cherry tree and good riddance because cherry wood is very brittle and using pole ladders when picking was a hazardous job and many injuries sustained each year.
JB.

I've abandoned covering my "dwarf" cherry tree - now 12 feet high as I had a nasty fall a couple of years ago when the ladder decided to twist and buckle under me while I was removing the nets. And no Johnboy I am not hugely fat - I know you don't believe me!!!

My bird defence this year is large pillowcase sized bags I've made out of fleece with a drawstring to tie them over some of the branches. This is keeping birds and wasps off at least some of the cherries.

You were lucky having your tree identified and it being a good one. It would be wonderful if the shops started selling lots of different varieties of British apples instead of indifferent tasting imported ones of a limited number of varieties.

I've just caught up with the Botany series on BBC4.
For anybody who has any doubts about plant breeding and its natural progression to GM they should watch the final episode still available on iPlayer. "Botany : A Blooming History" Part 3 "Hidden World".

ken wrote:There's been a lot of criticism on the Forum over the years regarding the superficial, entrtainment-focused standard of gardening programmes on TV. I'd just like to say three cheers for an intelligent programme on the British apple by Chris Beardshaw on Wednesday. Tucked away on BBC4, of course, but I don't mind that if we could have more in similar vein.

Cheers for flagging this up. Can't believe I missed it. To the iPlayer I go...

iPlayer says this is only available for ten more hours so if you haven't seen it go for it now!

It's called British to the Core. Nice.

Hi Johnboy, yes, I have two sweet and two morello cherry trees both on dwarfing stock, as we have cats so far I haven't needed to net them. The morellos are really fiddley to stone.

Hi Geoff,
I managed to see the programme you mentioned and thought it one of the best programmes I have seen on Television and I am kicking myself that I didn't cotton on to it sooner.
However a really large thank you for mentioning it.
JB.

Hi NB
This week I have been driving a van and have travelled north to south and east to west of my beloved county of Herefordshire. In a van being that much higher off the ground I have been able to see over hedges and the amount of new Apple orchards that have sprung up all over the county is almost beyond belief. I recon I have seen best part of a hundred
which is mind blowing to me. Many will be Cider Apples but there are now orchards of eating apples grown only about 4ft apart and about 10ft twixt rows that are absolutely laden with fruit. I understand that these are normally juicing operations but the very best of the crop will probably go on the market as eating apples. I went past an orchard that are Bramley's and they are still a way off picking but they were thinning the crop.
So amazed was I that I turned round and went back and spoke to a person in the orchard who turned out to be the owner and these trees are in their fourth year and the crop was amazing simply amazing.
The way I see it is that English Apples have come back with a vengeance.
JB.

So now make sure we support them by buying them, in one form or the other. Although i don't think any of us lot would do any other.