[Sharonx]

Hi,
Posted a message the other day letting everyone know Aldi's will be having fruit trees in from Thursday @ £4 something.

I asked if anyone knew if it was easy to grow the Peach and Nectarine here in th UK but I didn't get any replies 

Also asked if buying just one Apple tree to put on the plot would be ok, i.e would pollination happen alright because of all the other Apple trees or would I need to buy two? Be greatful if someone could help before I make a trip to Aldis tomorrow. Thanks

[pookey]

To pollinate an apple tree, you need another variety that fowers around the same time.  If there are a few apple trees on your alotment, you will probably get away with only 1 tree (crab apples are not edible but are great polinators so these would also be suitable if theres one around your plot)

As for peaches, that is a gamble.  They flower early spring and are at risk from frost.  If you train the tree as a fan on some posts and wires (so its flat and spread out), it would be easy to cover with fleece and youd have a better chance of getting fruit.....but you would need to hand polinate the flowers or open the fleece on good days.  If you have the space its worth ago for a fiver!  If it doesnt perform after a couple of years you could pull it out.

If you have  a bigger budget you can get dual aple trees (2 different varieties on 1 tree) so they will polinate each other but only take up the space of 1 tree.  You can also get pre-trained peach trees (around 35-40 quid) but you would still need to put in the posts and wires to tie it on.

[Trillium]

You'd also need to read the package very carefully, or ask anyone knowledgeable at the store (that alone can be tricky) as to what minimum temperature the tree is hardy to. In Canada, we have semi-dwarf trees bred to a winter hardiness of about -20C. Where I live it gets to -30C, sometimes lower, but I grow my peach trees outside, while my neighbours cannot. I grow mine in a small micro-climate within a shelter of mature trees and hedges, which helps keen them warmer. I've also planted them closer to the house where there are more wind obstructions (other trees, walls, etc) so they don't get full winter wind blasts.
I'm sure that if you can provide similar shelter conditions that you can get peach and nectarines outside. If the buds have flowered and you fear frost, then throw a plastic cover over the tree. But peach trees are later flowerers due to this fact.

[mumofstig]

Most peach trees are grown against a south facing wall for warmth, and you'd need to self pollinate if you cover against frost.  no problems with the apples as long as there are some others around for pollination.

[Trillium]

It's interesting that you'd cover the whole tree. I put only an umbrella type cover over mine so that bees can always access the tree easily from the sides.

[woodburner]

If growing peaches (and nectarines) here was easy we'd all have them. 

I don't know about their hardiness, but I do know that they are prone to peach leaf curl, and benefit from having the rain kept off them.

[Trillium]

We get peach leaf curl here too, but a type of wide awning over the tree will suffice rather than a complete wrap.

[Sharonx]

Mmmm, thanks for that. I'm now thinking that maybe the Peach isn't such a good idea. I'm not experienced enough to know what I'm doing and the weather is certainly very Unpredictable. Maybe I will just go and see what the trees look like and go for maybe 2 apple and a cherry. These should be easy for me to cope with! What a shame at that price!

[corevalue]

Peaches and Nectarines a perfectly hardy on the UK, Ive grown them many times outdoors in Cambridgeshire. This year I lost a lot of apples to a late May frost,  even the plums were damaged, but the peaches held their fruitlets and I got a good crop in August.

Peach leaf curl is the biggest problem, but a spray of copper fungicide at leaf fall and again in the spring keeps it under check. Otherwise, not many pests apart from earwigs, which love them, and reed spider if you grow them indoors.

[Ice]

This thread is over two and a half years old, but thank you for the info.

[Malturn]

Hi, I have a peach tree in the middle of my garden which was given to us about 15 years ago.
Up until 2 years ago we had had no fruit off of it then 2 years ago we got about 50 then last year we had over 300 ( every one who dared to come to the door had a bag full thrust into their hands) . This year we had about 90. We live in the middle of Nottingham and last winter we had -12degC. and it survived OK.

Malcolm