[muckshifter]

I have planted 2 Victoria plum trees and 1 Stella cherry and inherited a terribly overgrown mess of a Victoria plum tree that bears a goodly amount of fruit ,and that makes me loath to prune it in case I kill it.

[BabbyAnn]

Fruit trees can cause serious problems on plots, particularly if they are thoughtlessly sited or not on dwarfing rootstocks.  I'm not saying they should necessarily be banned, but there are potential problems with them.

This is my main dispute with fruit trees on allotment plots, especially if it's not grafted on to a semi-dwarf rootstock.  I'm not against having fruit trees on plots, but I do wish there was some sort of "planning permission" where the trees can be sited as these are long term and more difficult to move/remove, and new tenants may think they intend having the plot for as long as possible, but circumstances can change - I've seen enthusiastic new tenants come and go, leaving behind no end of problems for new tenants and neighbours 

I don't have fruit trees on my plot, but there is a huge apple tree right next to the boundary footpath on my neighbours plot which means I have to go round it and is a loss of growing space on my side.  Having said that, the tree was planted many years ago and both plots were vacant for a long time before waiting lists - despite total neglect, every October/November I harvest loads of apples on my side (for some reason my neighbour doesn't want them) and the fruit are lovely - I think it is called Empire (only a guess but the fruit look and taste like the ones in the shops about the same time) 

I have several fruit trees in my garden which I planted - 6 different apple varieties, 2 Conference pears, Victoria plum, 2 Morello cherries and a Stella cherry, as well as 6 established elders and a hazel when I moved in the house 

[ferreter51]

Five damsons, two cherries, three apples and a pear.  Also soft fruit plants and canes (strawberries, raspberries, tayberries and loganberries) three gooseberries, two cultivated brambles, four redcurrants and four vines.  That's in my garden and small orchard, I grow veg only in the kitchen garden.

[stompy]

Well, i purchased 5 bare root trees last night from Morrisons.

1 Victoria plum
1 Opal Plum
1 Grenadier Apple
1 Doyenne du Comice Pear
1 Stella Cherry to be increased to 2 when more stock arrives.

The overall cost for all 5 was £25 £5 each, which i thought was a bargain.
I will be adding at least 1 more apple to the list of which variety i can't remember the name of at the moment, but that will be from one of the nurseries and a little more costly.

All 5 will be going into pots for the next few Weeks/months as the plot isn't ready to take them yet but as i'll be potting them i'll be able to plant them any time i wish.

[Paul Plots]

I hope you have a big plot Stompy... they will cover a huge area once they  reach full size. 

[stompy]

Both plums will be grown as espaliers as will the apple tree and the pear.
The eventual 2 cherrys will be grown as a flat piramid if you know what i mean!
All of them are on dwarfing root stocks and it says they will not reach more than 10'

My plot is very big though 350sqft about 20ft wide by what seems like 10 miles long.  

[greenhead]

On my plot (1 and 1/2 plots) I have 3 cox, 1 discovery, 1 James Grieve, 1 pear Conference, 1 Damson Merry-weather, and 1 plum Pershore Purple The plum is Worcestershire bread.

They have not taken over yet! keep them well pruned.

[Paul Plots]

Both plums will be grown as espaliers as will the apple tree and the pear.
The eventual 2 cherrys will be grown as a flat piramid if you know what i mean!
All of them are on dwarfing root stocks and it says they will not reach more than 10'

My plot is very big though 350sqft about 20ft wide by what seems like 10 miles long.  

On dwarf root stock for that price is excellent. I wish you luck with them. 

[Wombat18]

I bought a Victoria plum and a Stella cherry from Focus last year, but the cherry didn't have any roots to speak of and didn't survive the winter.  Luckily I kept the receipt.  I may look for another one tomorrow as I am hugely fond of cherries. 

I also have a big apple tree that is probably 30 or 40 years old.  It has been badly neglected and barely fruited at all last year because it was so badly affected with downy mildew.  It's not of any recognisable type and the fruit is susceptible to scab as well.  Still, it would be a great shame to get rid of it (and a lot of work) so I'm giving it another year to see if it does any better with regular doses of fungicide. 

[pete1977]

I've got a nice dwarf victoria plum (exceptially well flavoured)from local garden ind garden centre £20 but fruited year of planting
and a dwarf  Bramley apple - for lots of lovely crumbles and pies

One's that have been unsucessful :

stellar cherry (poundland)- the wind always took the blossom so i never had any fruit I was on a quite exposed site then. So, it might be an excellent cherry elsewhere.

A unnamed variety of plum tree which just grew and grew (bought from poundland or similar type store)  but didn't produce fruit - this was definatly not dwarfing rootstock so it became fire wood - I think it's quite common for the cheap tree's to be commercial varieties and not on dwarfing root stock.

I inherited a  doyenne du commice pear on my first allotment which didn't give much fruit  (I thinkbecause of the wind exposure ) but did taste really good - I will probably give this another go now i'm in a much sunnier and more protected location.

things I think you should consider before buying the tree...

the size of tree you want - smaller rootstocks need staking and feeding and watering

siting of the tree is important: there needs to be other trees for fertilisation if not self- fertile.  windy or frosty condition early in the season will kill the blossom and you get no fruit so exposed sites are bad.

lastly but most importantly flavour in fact this is where I would start from...

[kari]

No allotment, but in the garden I have a dwarf apple, an Olive tree and a Fig, all birthday gifts from my parents last year, I noticed today that the Fig already has 2 fruits on it and my apple is bursting into blossom

[Nige2Plots]

On plot 20 we have;
Victoria Plum,
Sunburst Cherry,
Elstar Apple.
On plot 6B;
Morpark Apricot.
 
All are new trees purchased in the Autumn and planted then. All are currently in bud.
At home we have an Conference Pear!

[DopeyAlex]

We have: Apple, Pear, Plum, Apricot, Cherry, Lime, Orange and Lemon Trees.

All budding /or flowing....so hopefully get some fruit for the first time this year!!!

[Paul Plots]

We have: Apple, Pear, Plum, Apricot, Cherry, Lime, Orange and Lemon Trees.

All budding /or flowing....so hopefully get some fruit for the first time this year!!!

I guess the lemon and orange are indoors. 

[stompy]

They are all on dwarfing rootstocks, have a look in or ring your local Morrisons, they've got them in at the moment.

This is what i planted on my original plot 6/7 years back and had fruit from year 2 onwards, and they all cropped very very  well, i got fruit on the first year but removed it all (took alot of wilpower) so the trees could put their energy into roots and top growth.

£5 each at Morrisons now.