[fatbelly]

Hi all,
I have decided to buy a Plum tree for the plot. I will probably go for a variety called Victoria which I remember from my youth and how nice the plums tasted. I have no knowledge whatsoever on growing plums so any advice will be gratefully received.

I have done some research and have seen terms like 'maiden' 'bush' and 'half standard'.

When is the best time to plant and can I expect fruit the 1st season.

Any advice will be welcome

 

[sunshineband]

Couple of things to bear in mind:

How big do you want the eventual tree to be?  Generally people want a smallish tree , so check the root stock is a semi dwarfing one like Julian A

What shape are you aiming for? Lollypop shape is a standard, for example

How long are you prepared to wait for fruit? Young trees do take a couple of years or so before they flower and fruit reliably

How much do you want to pay? There are trees from maidens (no branches, just a basic long twig) up to fairly large potted trees available -- look round on ebay to get an idea of price etc, as well as garden centres

And lastly, best time to plant is mid autumn when we can hope the soil is damp and still warm, and bear in mind the tree will need t be watered regularly for it's first year

Hope that all helps 

[mumofstig]

agree with Sunny, and you can also get rootstock Pixy, which gives a smaller tree 6 - 8ft 

[shokkyy]

And don't forget that some varieties will give a good crop every year but other varieties tend to only give a good crop every other year.