Gardening - Fruit Trees with Eugene Higgins

Thursday, 30 October 2008

Eugene will be talking us through four different types of fruit trees that we can plant in our garden at this time of year.

We will also revisit the apple tree which was named on our show last year 'The Afternoon Delight' to see how it is getting on.

At this time of the year the garden centres are taking delivery of their fruit trees which are lifted in late autumn so this is the time of the year to get out and buy and save yourself some money in these recessionary times.

Eugene Higgins, Landscaper

I was born into Horticulture in a plant nursery/garden centre in north Co Dublin started in 1940 by my grandfather, so my excuse is, "that its in my blood".
On leaving school I worked in various Dublin radio stations and spent my spare time working in the family run garden centre, this soon reversed after spending an intervening number of years in Australia.
Over the last 12 years I have been combining Horticulture and media work.besides working on the Afternoon Show since season 1 my media contributions have also included:

. BBC Room For Improvement (Season 1)
. UTV "UTV LIFE"
. FM 104 Claire McKeon Show
. Lite Fm Dublin Saturday magazine

In 1999 I returned to retailing opening Colour Green Garden Centre in Malahide Dublin, which won "Best Specialist Garden Centre 2002-Ireland".
In 2004 we subsequently moved the business to Tullamore, Co Offaly, where we have a lot more space around us and have concentrated on developing our Colour Green Landscaping Services. Our highlight to date was, being commissioned last year by the Afternoon Show to restore a nursing home's spectacular Japanese garden that had run into serious disrepair (Carrigoran Nursing Home, Co Clare).

Growing fruit in the garden is decorative, interesting and once planted and established the fruit garden gives a better return than the effort the vegetable plot takes.
You don't even need too much space as a lot of varieties don't take up a huge space. What you do need is a sunny garden that's not exposed to strong winds and selecting what fruit suits you in the fruit range, could yield you anything from apples to plums, pears or Cherrys. The trees are no bigger than a large shrub.
Home grown fruit is fresh, chemical free, and won't have a carbon footprint, so you cant loose.

Tree 1:
Olive Shrub 'Olea Europaea' - €243
Olive Tree - €2243
In Ireland they are not fully hardy and require a warm, sheltered spot to thrive. Alternatively grow in a large pot and move into the shelter of a cool greenhouse over the winter months. Ideally they grow in well drained, light, dry soil and they drive in full sun. They are so new to this part of the world due to global warming. While the crop is small you could sue it for cooking. You will get a few fruits in your first summer after planting but the fruits will grow in number as the years go on. However you should not pick the fruits until Autumn.

Tree 2:
Apple 'Cox's Orange Pippin' - €25 - €30
Apple 'Discovery' - €25 - €30
Apple 'James Grieve' - €25 - €30
The apple tree should be planted in a warm, sunny area of the garden away from strong cold winds as with most fruit trees. Some apple trees need a pollinator so it is best to plant two of the same variety if planting more than one. When they are young you should tend to their watering needs if conditions are dry however when they are mature their roots will look after that for you. You need to prune them in winter and you will get some fruit after your first year of planting. All of the trees we are featuring on the show are eaters.

Tree 1:
Plum 'Victoria' - €25 - €30
Plum trees flower earlier than other fruit trees and can be hit by the frost so you have to take special care of them. They need to be planted in a warm, sunny area of the garden protected from strong, cold winds. When they are young prune them in March and when mature prune in June/July. Your tree will produce fruit after a few years and you can use the plums in cooking or just eat them.
?

Tree 4:
Fig Tree 'Ficus Carica' - €1534
Figs are native trees of Syria and Persia, and have been grown in Ireland since Roman times. Only a few varieties are hardy enough for outdoor cultivation on warm walls, where they survive most winters unscathed - very hard prolonged frosts may kill all the top growth, but plants revive from below ground. They are best trained on wires for ease of management, with the roots restricted (container cultivation is always successful), otherwise plants make more leaf than fruit. 'Brown Turkey' ('Brown Naples') is a prolific and reliable variety. They thrive in well drained, light, clay/heavy, chalk/alkaline soil and grow best in full sun/partial shade.

Top Tips
. Be patient...fruit trees require a few years to provide a good yield
. When purchasing check does your fruit tree need a pollinator e.g you may need two apple trees of the same flowering time as some flower early and others late in the season, so to be compatible pick two that match up early, mid season, or late, the same can go for pears plums etc, and some are self fertile
. You will need to prune your trees. This can be done after flowering. This is done to make the tree stronger

A bit about the "Afternoon Delight"
The tree was originally found growing in County Leitrim about 15 years ago.
The tree is a self rooter which means that you can cut off branches which are about three years old and stick them in the ground and they will grow! This is unusual as most apple trees have to be grafted onto a rootstock in able to be propagated.
The fruit is a midseason apple so is ripe in September but unfortunately will not keep more than about a month.

Product Prices
Olive Tree - €2243
Olive Shrub 'Olea Europaea' - €243
Apple 'Cox's Orange Pippin' - €25 - €30
Apple 'Discovery' - €25 - €30
Apple 'James Grieve' - €25 - €30
Plum 'Victoria' - €25 - €30
Fig Tree 'Ficus Carica' - €1534

Fruit Trees Supplied by:
Tully Nurseries
Contact www.tullynurseries.ie , phone 01 8433174, fax 01 8433453 or email info@tullynurseries.ie
Tully Nurseries, Richardstown, Ballyboughal, Co Dublin.

AND

Flannery's Nurseries
Contact www.flannerysnurseries.com , phone 045 869131, fax 045 869218 or email flannurs@iol.ie
Flannery's Nurseries Limited, Staplestown, Donadea, Naas, Co.

Other plants supplied on the set come from Blackbanks Garden Centre, Raheny, Co Dublin 01 8327047
Eugene Higgins Landline 01 8674319/ 057 9355840 or email ebhiggins@eircom.net