PLANT PROFILE | Apples The orig<strong>in</strong>al fruit From the Garden of Eden to our own backyards, apples have always been the most tempt<strong>in</strong>g of fruits 16 | <strong>Good</strong> <strong>Organic</strong> <strong>Garden<strong>in</strong>g</strong>
Words Jennifer Stackhouse Photos Flem<strong>in</strong>g’s Nurseries & PlantNet There’s noth<strong>in</strong>g as excit<strong>in</strong>g as bit<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to a crisp, crunchy organic apple picked straight from your own backyard tree. Even my dogs enjoy fresh apples and eagerly collect fallen fruit. The chooks, too, keep the w<strong>in</strong>dfalls under control (and the pests) by free rang<strong>in</strong>g under the trees. Apples are ready to harvest from late summer well <strong>in</strong>to w<strong>in</strong>ter but most ripen dur<strong>in</strong>g autumn. Include early and late varieties <strong>in</strong> a plant<strong>in</strong>g to extend the harvest of fresh fruit. In my old and battered CWA Cookery Book, the largest section of dessert and pudd<strong>in</strong>g recipes focuses on apples. They also feature heavily <strong>in</strong> the preserves chapter. After enjoy<strong>in</strong>g two bumper apple harvests from the trees <strong>in</strong> my Tasmanian garden, I can understand why. When you have a crop of apples, you want lots of ideas on how to use them. A well-established productive tree can yield up to 900 apples — that’s a lot of eat<strong>in</strong>g! Keep enjoy<strong>in</strong>g the flavour and nutrition of apples by learn<strong>in</strong>g how to store fresh apples (see box) as well as preserv<strong>in</strong>g them for the months ahead. Apples can be preserved by be<strong>in</strong>g bottled, stewed and frozen, dried or made <strong>in</strong>to juices, ciders, chutneys and jellies. Where to grow apples Apples fruit <strong>in</strong> areas with cool to cold w<strong>in</strong>ters and mild summers. There are two critical factors for success with apples. One is to match the variety to the hours of chill<strong>in</strong>g experienced through w<strong>in</strong>ter <strong>in</strong> your part of the world, and the other is to ensure the variety you are grow<strong>in</strong>g has a match<strong>in</strong>g poll<strong>in</strong>ator. Most apples are high-chill fruit. This Royal Gala means they need long hours of chill<strong>in</strong>g while they are dormant through w<strong>in</strong>ter. Hours of chill<strong>in</strong>g are accumulated dur<strong>in</strong>g w<strong>in</strong>ter when temperatures fall below 7°C. Most apples need around 800 hours. This is why they grow best <strong>in</strong> the cooler southern regions (<strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g Tasmania) and <strong>in</strong> highland and elevated areas such as Stanthorpe <strong>in</strong> Queensland, the Blue Mounta<strong>in</strong>s and Southern Highlands of New South Wales, and the Adelaide Hills <strong>in</strong> South Australia. There’s good news for would-be apple growers <strong>in</strong> warmer regions, though. There are low-chill varieties that fruit <strong>in</strong> areas where the w<strong>in</strong>ters aren’t bone-chill<strong>in</strong>gly cold. ‘Golden Dorset’, ‘Tropical Anna’ and ‘Tropical Beauty’ require less than 300 hours of chill<strong>in</strong>g, so can grow <strong>in</strong> colder parts of the subtropics. They can crosspoll<strong>in</strong>ate each other, so grow at least two. Poll<strong>in</strong>ators The other critical factor for a good harvest is poll<strong>in</strong>ation. Most apples only form fruit when their flowers receive pollen from a different apple variety. This is known as crosspoll<strong>in</strong>ation. The poll<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g variety needs to be compatible and flower at the same time and <strong>in</strong> a nearby location. Bees do the work of carry<strong>in</strong>g pollen between trees. In areas where there are lots of apple trees, hav<strong>in</strong>g a compatible cross-poll<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g variety <strong>in</strong> the orchard may not be critical as there is probably a cross-poll<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g tree close by <strong>in</strong> someone else’s garden. In areas where apples are not as common, though, it can be vital to have a poll<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g variety <strong>in</strong> the orchard. Where space is a problem, it’s possible to plant a multi-grafted tree that carries the desired variety and its poll<strong>in</strong>ator. As well, trees can be grown as duos; that is, two trees planted <strong>in</strong>to one plant<strong>in</strong>g hole. Apples | PLANT PROFILE Where space is a problem, it’s possible to plant a multi-grafted tree that carries the desired variety and its poll<strong>in</strong>ator. There are apple trees that act as poll<strong>in</strong>ators for a wide range of varieties, and plant<strong>in</strong>g these trees with<strong>in</strong> the orchard <strong>in</strong>creases harvest. Crab apples are universal poll<strong>in</strong>ators. As these are also highly ornamental, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g a crab apple <strong>in</strong> the garden will boost most apple crops. (Last issue we featured crab apples.) Other apples that poll<strong>in</strong>ate a wide range of varieties are ‘Delicious’, ‘Granny Smith’ and ‘Jonathan’ (one of the most versatile poll<strong>in</strong>ators to grow). Some apples, however, are very specific and need a particular poll<strong>in</strong>ator, so always double-check poll<strong>in</strong>ation requirements before plant<strong>in</strong>g an apple tree. Although most varieties need a poll<strong>in</strong>ator, some apples are self-poll<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g (but their crops are generally better with crosspoll<strong>in</strong>ation). ‘Beauty of Bath’ is an heirloom, self-poll<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g apple. Also self-poll<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g are ‘Braeburn’ and the columnar Baller<strong>in</strong>a varieties. The compact variety ‘P<strong>in</strong>kabelle’ is partially self-poll<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g. Jonathan Golden Delicious <strong>Good</strong> <strong>Organic</strong> <strong>Garden<strong>in</strong>g</strong> | 17
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