Espalier and Fan Training Fruit Trees for Small UK Gardens
How to train apples, pears and plums flat against a wall or fence, from choosing the right tree and spacing along a boundary to first-year tying-in and summer pruning.
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How to train apples, pears and plums flat against a wall or fence, from choosing the right tree and spacing along a boundary to first-year tying-in and summer pruning.
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Self-fertile trees crop alone, but self-sterile apples, pears, plums and sweet cherries need a compatible partner in a matching flowering group. Here's how to tell...
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Which apples and pears keep, which are best eaten straight from the tree, and how to wrap, store and check your harvest so it lasts into spring.
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A practical spring checklist for guarding fruit blossom against late frosts — siting, fleece, overhead watering, later varieties — and protecting pollination itself.
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A clear, beginner-friendly routine for dormant-season pruning of established apple and pear trees, covering the branch framework, renewal cuts and what to leave untouched.
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A practical guide to growing apples, pears, figs and cherries in pots on a UK patio, covering rootstocks, container size, compost, watering and winter care.
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Learn the practical tests for ripeness in apples, pears and plums, from the lift-and-twist method to pip colour, skin feel, scent and taste.
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Most young fruit trees are lost in their first year. Here are five planting mistakes — deep planting, poor drainage, weeds, bad spacing and missing support — and how...
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A practical month-by-month guide to orchard jobs in the UK, from winter pruning and spring frost protection to summer thinning, watering and storing the harvest.
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Pruning plums and cherries in summer rather than winter is the best defence against silver leaf and bacterial canker. Here is how to time it, cut cleanly and care for...
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