Top 10 Apple Varieties for the Garden
We asked Hamid Habibi of Keepers Nursery to recommend 10 apple varieties which are easy to grow in the garden ...
It is never easy to recommend a small selection of apples. Apart from anything else there are so many that I like. As a gardener you would want fruit that tastes good but also trees with relatively good disease resistance which give a regular good crop. You would also want to choose varieties that will give you a spread of season from late summer through to the winter. In making this selection I have tried to strike a balance between varieties with good flavour and ones which are relatively easy to grow. I have chosen varieties with a wide spread of season. I have deliberately stayed away from varieties readily available in the shops. I have also tried to cater for a wide range of tastes.
Early varieties
These are varieties to pick and eat in September. As they do not keep you should not have too many of them. Most early apples are disappointing either because they do not have much flavour or because the fruit drops or goes soft before any flavour has developed. There are two which stand out head and shoulder above the rest.
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Scrumptious
A lovely new English apple which really does live up to its name. This is an early apple for those with a sweet tooth. Crisp and juicy with a fragrant honeyed flavour. The fruit ripens to a red colour in early September and is good until the end of September. -
Sunrise
A crisp and juicy apple with a good balance of sweetness and acidity. Attractive with a bright red flush over a yellow skin. It has a remarkably long cropping season for an early variety. Unlike many early varieties very few apples drop. It can be picked from mid August to the end of September.
Mid-season varieties
These are varieties to pick from mid September onwards. They would keep until the end of October or beyond. There is a much greater choice of good mid season varieties. So I am selecting three quite different varieties each with its own merit.
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Egremont Russet
This is the apple that many people just know as 'the russet apple'. It has the rustic looking rough golden brown skin, which gives it the russet name. It is sweet with a distinctive dry nutty flavour and texture. It is an apple that you either love or hate. -
Lord Lambourne
A traditional English apple as the name would imply. Quite a large fruit with red stripes on a green skin. Not a strong flavoured apple but crisp, juicy and sweet – very much the kind of apple that the whole family would like. -
Sunset
If you were to ask me what my favourite apple is I would not hesitate to say Cox’s Orange Pippin. There is nothing quite like the strong aromatic flavour of a ripe Cox. However, I would never recommend a Cox as a garden variety as it is too disease prone. So I have to settle for second best, one of the 'Cox alternatives'. Sunset is one of the best. Its flavour is very much like that of Cox, albeit not quite as good. But it is a much easier variety to grow.
Late varieties
These are varieties to pick from mid October onward. They can be stored and kept well into the winter. Many of the best apples fall into this category. It is not an easy choice but here are mine.
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Elstar
This is one of my favourite apples. It never disappoints. A great texture - crisp and juicy but not too hard. Attractive looking with a bright red flush over a bright yellow skin. Very good balance of sweetness and acidity and a delicious fruity flavour does not fade in storage. -
Fiesta
A red apple with some of the aromatic flavour of Cox. Sweeter and less strongly flavoured than Cox. Firm, crisp and juicy. Keeps very well retaining its crispness but losing some of its flavour in storage. -
Herefordshire Russet
An excellent new English variety. Its golden russet skin is like that of Egremont Russet. But there the resemblance ends. It is a crisp, juicy and aromatic apple with a flavour not unlike Cox's Orange Pippin. -
Rajka
A new variety that combines very good disease resistance with flavour and good looks. A handsome, fairly large red flushed apple. Good balance of sweetness and acidity with a hint of strawberry. Crisp and juicy but not too firm. -
Topaz
This is one for those who like their apples to bite back. Firm, juicy and refreshingly sharp. A bit like a Granny Smith in texture and sharpness but a much more attractive red flushed apple with lovely almost orange flesh.
Hamid Habibi, Keepers Nursery.
Trees of all the above varieties can be ordered from Keepers Nursery. You can order online at their website.
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