Hi all
Thanks for the replies.
I know about Welsh Mountain Cider, and have spoken to them about tree stock. My ***only*** concern with buying trees from them was lack of certification of disease resistance. For that reason I have also spoken to John Worle amongst others(
www.johnworle.co.uk) and although he can supply trees that are certificated as disease resistant, they are more expensive. Question is about risk & cost should an infected tree infect the rest of the Orchard. Jury is out on that one.
Thanks for the comment about the 10% bleach solution. My wife & I went on an Orchard management Course, as part of my research into this, and we picked up lots of useful information. We went to the Victorian Farm Museum in Shropshire. Very useful ! Highly Recommended!
Thanks for tip about the book. Its been suggested elsewhere by two seperate people, so it seems to be a must read. I've ordered that, just.
In our part of North East Wales, just on the marches border, there was once, a thriving fruit & vegtable area, up until around 1880. The local chappie who knows much about this, has visited our site & looked at the proposed orchard location. He suggested different varieties on the basis that they are tradional to the area. Whilst this is probably true, they aren't reasonable croppers, and aren't polination partners, thereby needing Crab apples (or similar) to polinate.
Rabbit protection, ah yes, our little furry friends. We planted an acre or so of mixed woodland last winter (700 + trees of Ash, Rowan, Beech, Silver Birch...Crab Apple, etc etc) and we have had a few skirmishes with the local Bugsy gang. To deter them we use an electric fence (it helps keep the Foxes & Rabbits out, and our flock of Chickens in the woodland) together with tree guards on the stems. It didn't stop all commando style night raids by the rabbits, but did protect alot.
For the orchard, I am planning a similar defence in depth solution, with a tree guard around the stem, and a 1 metre (or so) high chicken wire cage around the stem, supported by three 1m (or so) wooden stakes. The chicken wire will be around 6 inches deep, being partially buried as I plant the tree. The only live stock in the orchard will the occasional sheep, or trespassing cow from the neighbours. Although once I have put up new fences, that shouldn't be much of a risk.
I'm still not decided about the root stock, so I may mix & match and see what happens. After all I could always plant more ......
And if you havn't spotted it, my main interest is Cider production, initially as a keen amateur, then ***maybe*** as a retirement project making a few bob, when I retire in um, 20 years.
We do have a developing Fruit Orchard, with Plums, Cherries, Medlars, Mulberr'ies as well as smaller fruit trees of Gooseberries and Blackcurrents etc. This side of things is carried out by the wife (head gardener aka Capability ) with me as labourer. The Orchard is one of my projects, although my wife supports the project, in the form of production quality control.
Cheers (hic!)
A. (aka Scrumble The Goose)