Perfect time to buy & plant an apple tree

When is the perfect time to plant a bareroot organic apple tree in your garden in the UK? 

 

 The other day a friend said to me, "When it's summertime, I'd love to buy a dessert apple tree or two from you."

 

I replied, "Wonderful, but don't wait till then, because now – November - is the perfect time to think about buying and plant an apple tree."

 

Mid-November might seem an odd time to think about planting a new apple tree - when all the trees around are losing their leaves and preparing for winter. When seedling trees look nothing more than sticks, it can feel rather incongruous, I know. 

 

When is the apple tree season?

If you are not in the trade or the know, you’d be forgiven for thinking the season of glorious apple blossom or the appearance of fruit is the time to think about when to get a new apple tree them in the ground.

 

 And yet, it’s the perfect time, from November till mid-March. The sooner the better to give a long time for the roots to establish before spring comes.

 

You see, because we grow trees in the ground rather than in pots - this is called bareroot - the season for planting apple trees starts now, when the trees are dormant. More about that later.

 

 But first, what is an organic bareroot apple tree?

 

Simply put, the trees are grown out in the field in the living soil, not in pots. Producing bareroot apples trees is pretty standard in the organic apple tree industry.

 

Trees are lifted Nov-March and despatched with the roots bare, wrapped in something to keep them from damage or drying out, rather than in a pot full of compost.  

 

Growing trees in the soil means healthier, more robust & resilient trees that are less prone to disease. Root systems are able to develop well - better, faster - than they would if grown in pots.

 

Growing trees in pots is more time & resource consuming - with the need to water the trees, sometimes twice daily in the summer. There is the need for large volume of potting compost and plastic plant pots.

 

As an eco-conscious and low impact Nursery, we work with systems that minimise our plastic use and importing of resources. More on our story

 

The roots get cramped in pots and can’t access the beneficial mycorrhizal and biome of living soil that support growth, especially when the trees are young. Growing trees this way, means we can only supply the apple trees seasonally – in the dormant season, November-March.

 

 What does that mean for a tree to be dormant? 

 

A tree enters dormancy and stops its above-ground growth and conserves energy during the cold winter months to survive harsh conditions.

 

During this time, the tree's metabolic activity slows down, leaves drop, and it prepares for the next growing season, which is signalled by cold temperatures that accumulate over winter, followed by warmer spring temperatures. This state of inactivity allows the tree to endure winter and come back to life in spring, producing new leaves and fruit.

 

The trees have only just gone into dormancy - really late this year. So now we are officially in the season for lifting, despatching and planting organic apple trees.

Attempting to lift, despatch and replant outside of the dormancy season is detrimental to the health of the trees. At best, it will affect the initial growth of the tree, and at worse may even kill them.

 

So, if you, like my friend, are thinking about getting an apple tree and planting an apple tree, now is the time! 

 

The sooner you buy the tree, the sooner we can despatch, and the sooner you can get the tree in the ground - which means the tree has ages to get its roots established well before the blossom begins to appear. 

How to buy your apple tree

You can now Browse and Buy our range of dessert, cooking and cider trees with 90+ hardy, heritage varieties to choose from.

 

There are listed as collections

Browse Dessert apple trees

Browse Cooking apple trees

Browse Cider apple Tree

 

How about an Apple-themed Gift Card as a gift for Christmas?

 

For that family member who loves to garden and grow their own or that friend who always wanted to plant an apple tree, but never quite got around to it. A great gift that keeps on giving, year on year, and helps support biodiversity at the same time. Check them out here

 

Now, how to choose the perfect organic apple tree for you

 

What organic apple tree should I plant?

 

There are many things to consider. 

 

First you need to decide what sort of apple tree you want. A dessert apple tree, a cooking apple tree or a cider apple tree? This will depend on whether you are after apples you can eat, bake with or make an alcoholic tipple with, and of course, let’s not forget apple juice is rather delicious.

 

 Varieties of organic apple trees

 

Then it’s the variety of tree you want – what sort of apple – a crisp sweet one, or a softer texture one etc – this information is down to personal taste. Each apple tree we sell has a description with it to help you decide which ones you want.

 

All trees are hardy, heritage varieties, and proven to be particularly hardy in our damp Welsh climate. Some are from the West Country, some originate in Wales, some in Kent and some from Herefordshire. We have a range of more standard varieties and some rarer ones. So hopefully there is something to suit everyone

 

 Rootstocks

 

Then you have think about the Rootstock that you want. The rootstock is what determines the height and vigour of the tree. So, this is where the location, aspect, elevation, shelter characteristics of your site come into play, as well as the size of the space where you intend to plant. You can refer to our Rootstock guide to help you. 

 

In short,

M26 – Semi dwarf. Up to 3m high.

MM106 – Medium. grows up to 3-4m high.

M116 – Medium. grows up to 3-4m high.

M111 – Large. grows up to 4m high.

M25– Very Large.  grows up to 6m high.

 

Want any help deciding? 

 

It can feel a little overwhelming with all the things you need to consider. We are happy to offer you advice and help to choose the tree variety and rootstock that suits your needs. We can also give you planting advice and also offer a Consultancy service too (link)

 

In the first instance, please Get in touch and we can arrange a call to speak to you directly,

 

One final thought, even though the apple trees look like sticks now, know they are full of promise of a fruit for generations to come.

 

Buy an apple tree now, and invest in a delicious fruity future!