As we enter a new year, The English Apple Man reports on winter activity on our UK fruit farms with the help of British Apples and Pears 'Orchard watch'
ACH Farming in Kent is taking a bold step for the future of British apples and pears with two major new orchard plantings now under way;
A brand new Jazz orchard is being established, with 20,000 trees planted at 3,077 trees per hectare. This land was growing wheat only last year, so it is a complete transformation into a thriving new top fruit site. These young trees will take around three to four years to reach full production, but the work happening today lays the foundations for years of high quality British fruit.
Next up is a 15 hectare Gala orchard with 46,000 trees soon to be planted. It is a significant investment at a time when the farming climate remains challenging, yet growers like ACH Farming continue to push forwards with long term commitments to British production.
Click on New orchard planting video
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New orchards like these play a vital role in securing more British apples and pears for shoppers in the years ahead. It is long term decisions from growers that support our ambition to reach 60 per cent British by 2035.
Here's to a future full of home grown fruit.
OrchardWatch - British Apples And Pears - Back British Farming - Fruit Growing - Buy British
The format for modern orchards is a narrow hedge style circa 3 metres tall and kept very narrow to ensure maximum light interception
Once into full production, the pruning requires maintaining each tree as a narrow unit avoiding encroaching on the next tree. Pruning is normally carried out using 'rechargeable hand held secateurs'
Below: A modern hedge row apple orchard before pruning
Below: Winter pruning a 'Vee system' pear orchard
Click on: Winter Pruning
Below: Inspecting a Pink Lady apple orchard highlighting key elements of the pruning process
Click on: Winter Pruning
Below: a modern hedge row apple orchard just before harvest
The English Apple Man has over the years highlighted the emergence of new varieties as the driving force in apple industry development. But ("at the root") rootstocks are key to the performance of each variety/soil type/tree system.
An important development reported in Hort Research
Apart from full coverage of the Fruit Show in this issue, there's a fascinating review of the history of apple rootstock breeding at East Malling. It highlights how the most recent release, M200, offers the industry higher productivity and tolerance to disease. On average, M200 is 35% more productive and 15 to 20% more vigorous than M9, producing a similar profile of fruit size ranges. It appears to offer a better tolerance than M9 to a range of diseases. Whilst not fully resistant, M200 is more tolerant than M9 of crown rot, canker and fireblight.
That is all for this week
I wish all my readers a Very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year in 2026
Take care
The English Apple Man