Fruit within Reach: Outdoors Learning at School Grounds

1. Early Years Outdoors Advice Sheet
Fruit within reach
Many early years settings trained forms are many: easy
might consider fruit trees access, ease of netting, pruning,
too large for their grounds, thinning and picking.
Early Years Outdoors is
one of the subscription but there are ways to keep Popular ways of training fruit
services from Learning trees include the 'cordon',
the fruit within reach.
through Landscapes, 'espalier' and 'fan' systems.
the UK’s national school
grounds and early years Firstly, as the mature size of the
Cordons (for apples, pears and
outdoor play charity. fruit tree depends not on the
plums)
variety grown, but on the
This is the most common form of
For more information rootstock used, you can buy a
restricting the growth of fruit
about subscriptions, range of varieties which have
trees. Trees are planted about 1m
call 01962 845811. been grafted or budded onto a
(3ft) apart and are trained at an
dwarfing rootstock. Secondly,
angle of 45% onto supporting
trees can be trained into shapes
wires, fence or wall. The tree is
which keep the branches low to
grown as a single stem by cutting
the ground.
back all side shoots to encourage
fruiting buds. The height to which
the tree is grown depends on your
Dwarfing rootstocks for mini-
reach, although cordons are rarely
The Early Years trees
Outdoors Advice grown above 2 m (6 ft).
Line is open Monday to
Friday all year round. Fruit trees grown on dwarfing
Espaliers (for apples and pears)
Contact our specialist rootstocks can be suitable for
This is a larger version of the
team for advice on even the smallest garden and can
using, designing or cordon, where the main stem is
also be grown in containers on
managing your space: grown vertically, and side shoots
patios or balconies. There is a
are trained horizontally in tiers.
Tel: range of rootstocks available to
Trees are planted 4-5 m (about
01962 845811 allow a wide choice of eventual
12-15 ft) apart. Side branches are
tree size, form, and rates of
Email: trained in opposite pairs, spaced
member@ltl.org.uk growth.
at approximately 35 cm (15 in)
intervals, and the number of tiers
Web: Suitable rootstocks include:
www.ltl.org.uk grown will depend on your reach.
Apples:
Fans
M27, very dwarfing - 1.5-2m (5-
This method is best for the stone
7ft)
fruit - peaches, plums, cherries,
M9, dwarfing - 2.4-3m (8-10ft)
nectarines, etc. In effect, it is a
development of the espalier
Pears:
method. However, instead of
Quince C dwarfing - 2.4-3m (8-
growing the branches
10ft)
horizontally, branches are trained
LTL accepts no EMH, dwarfing - 2.7-3.3m (9-11ft)
- over a number of years - into a
responsibility for the
flat 'fan' shape.
quality of goods or Plums:
services provided by Pixy, semi-dwarfing - 3-3.6m (10-
any companies listed.
12ft)
All of these restricted forms can
This Advice Sheet offers
a selection of contacts
be trained by any patient
to try – always try your gardener from maiden trees (a
Trained forms of trees
local Yellow Pages or single stem comprising one
Thomson Directory, and season's growth). These maidens
an internet search Apples, pears and stone fruit can
transplant better than the older
engine such as all be grown in various restricted
www.google.com as trees, though older (and more
forms, trained against a boundary
well. expensive) nursery trained trees
wall or fence, or as dividers,
can be chosen for quicker results.
trained on wires or fencing
When the leaves start to fall is a
between plots or alongside paths.
JM: 10-10 good time to plant.
The advantages of specially

2. Early Years Outdoors Advice Sheet
Fruit within reach
Full details on all methods of Further information
training and pruning fruit trees
are readily available from any Apple Day is an annual
Early Years Outdoors is
one of the subscription
good book on fruit growing. celebration of apple, orchards and
services from Learning local distinctiveness. Initiated by
through Landscapes, Common Ground in 1990 it has
the UK’s national school Varieties for training since been celebrated each year
grounds and early years
outdoor play charity.
on October 21st with events
There are two main groups of around the country, which usually
apple and pear varieties: 'tip include tastings of different
For more information bearing', where fruit is mainly varieties.
about subscriptions,
call 01962 845811.
borne on the end of shoots, and www.commonground.org.uk
'spur bearing', where the fruit is There are many good books
carried on short ‘spurs' close to which covering growing fruit
the main stem or branch. When trees, including planting advice
training fruit in a restricted way and pruning techniques.
tip bearers such as 'Beauty of
Bath', 'Laxtons Superb' and
'Worcester Pearmain' should be Learning through Landscapes is
The Early Years
avoided. A semi-dwarfing currently running the Lottery
Outdoors Advice rootstock will usually produce the funded Fruit-full Schools
Line is open Monday to best results. programme, aimed at introducing
Friday all year round. heritage apple orchards into
Contact our specialist
team for advice on
schools and settings. Visit
using, designing or Fertilisation www.fruitfullschools.org.uk for
managing your space: more details.
As well as size, you also need to
Tel:
01962 845811
consider the quantity of trees you
will need for a good crop. Until Fruit tree suppliers in Kent
Email: recently many fruits have been
member@ltl.org.uk the province of the largest Keepers Nursery
Web:
gardens - not only on account of Gallants Court
www.ltl.org.uk their size but also because of the East Farleigh
need to grow two or three Maidstone
varieties to ensure cross- Kent ME15 0LE
pollination. Newer varieties have England
been introduced which are self- T: 01622726465
fertile, providing fruit even if you F: 01622726465
only have one tree. 'Stella' is an
excellent self-fertile variety for fan Victoriana Nursery Gardens
trained cherries; 'Victoria' takes a Challock
lot of beating for plums and Nr Ashford
LTL accepts no 'Peregrine' is a good choice for a Kent
responsibility for the
quality of goods or
peach on a south-facing wall. TN25 4DG
services provided by T: 01233 740529
any companies listed. Apples can’t pollinate themselves F: 01233 740030
or any flowers of the same apple
This Advice Sheet offers
a selection of contacts
variety. If there are no other Brogdale Horticultural Trust
to try – always try your apple trees nearby, you will need Brogdale Road
local Yellow Pages or to plant at least two varieties of Faversham
Thomson Directory, and apple trees together in order to Kent
an internet search
engine such as
maximise fruit production and ME13 8XZ
www.google.com as quality. Make sure that the T: 01795 535286 or 535462
well. varieties you choose have F: 01795 531710
overlapping bloom dates, so that
both varieties bloom at the same
JM: 10-10 time.