[Hayleynotts]

Called into my local asda today and noticed they also have a box of fruit trees outside but theirs are £5. They look pretty much the same as the ones Aldi are selling but they do have some different variety a which Aldi had advertised but weren't in my local stores such as Braeburn and johnagold apples.

[Debz]

Plenty of different fruits too.  I am hoping to pick one (or two) up at the weekend.

[sunshineband]

As long as you are aware that these trees usually grow several metres tall, they are a real bargain 

[Tenhens]

Bargains they may be, consider if you will what response you will get if you were to ask a member of staff a question about growing or after care etc.  We have a lovely garden centre near us that gives a lovely service with staff who 'know their onions'.  I suspect a response along the lines ' I dunno, we just sell em'

[Baldy]

Its the frugal living thread after all... whilst there are quite a few things I'll pick up from my local good garden centre(s), my budget means fruit trees aren't going to be one of those 'things'. So, I try to give the local centres my business where I can but the prices charged for some things mean that they are only going to be selling to those with lots more cash than me... I suspect I'm not 'taget market' - so am not feeling bad for buyng from Aldi / \Tesco's for this.

So far(the admittedly bog-standard pears and apples) that I've bought have done well for me. I might be able to treat myself to a one off specialist tree one day, but I'd better not let Mrs Balders see the receipt! 

Pip pip,
Balders

[sunshineband]

Its the frugal living thread after all... whilst there are quite a few things I'll pick up from my local good garden centre(s), my budget means fruit trees aren't going to be one of those 'things'. So, I try to give the local centres my business where I can but the prices charged for some things mean that they are only going to be selling to those with lots more cash than me... I suspect I'm not 'taget market' - so am not feeling bad for buyng from Aldi / \Tesco's for this.

So far(the admittedly bog-standard pears and apples) that I've bought have done well for me. I might be able to treat myself to a one off specialist tree one day, but I'd better not let Mrs Balders see the receipt! 

Pip pip,
Balders

If you wait until late winter Baldy, there are some good bargains to be had in some of the more specialist places -- I managed to bag a half price dwarf nectarine tree about a month ago. There is always next year 

[Kristen]

I think it is important to:

• Choose the varieties wanted (might be a long list from which "any of these will do"), but once selected don't go Off Piste
• Personally I don't see any point growing a fruit tree that has a flavour I don't like (neigh, it needs to be a flavour I LOVE!), so I would never buy a fruit tree just 'coz the price was right.  Years of love making it grow to then not want to eat it - no thanks
• Make sure the varieties chosen have/are suitable pollination partners (even if the variety is self fertile - they will perform better with a pollination partner)
• Choose the rootstock - personally I am very wary of dwarfing rootstocks.  Much more TLC needed to get them to perform well, I would prefer to train a more vigorous rootstock into, say, Espalier than have a dwarfing rootstock.

If price is an issue then buy from wherever you get a good price.

I read a lot, on the forums, of people buying in these cheap spring sales and rootstock / variety being nothing like what the packaging said.  That can happen with the most reputable nursery I expect, but at the least I would leave one or two fruit to mature on a young plant to have some confidence that it is the variety it said it was - at the very least that an Apple is an Apple and not a Pear!!

[Bigrich]

Any Cox's apple trees in with them?

My local mini-asda doesn't have anything, but might make a trip to one of the bigger ones if they do as the mother-n-law keeps banging on about me getting a Cox's tree (though not sure she realises it'll be 3-4 years before any decent crops start coming)