Bring out your apples! There are apple days happening all over Ireland this autumn and it's a great chance to find out what that mystery variety growing in your garden is, as well as sampling different apples and discovering more about them.
Apples have been part of Irish history since mediaeval times: over 70 distinctively Irish varieties are still grown today, with such memorable names as 'Lady's Finger of Offaly', 'Maiden's Blush' and 'Bloody Butcher'.You can taste over 100 varieties of apple at Peatlands Park in Dungannon, Co. Armagh , while at The Organic Centre in Rossinver, Co. Leitrim (www.theorganiccentre.ie) there are grafting and pruning demonstrations.
It's a great time of year to plant apple trees, so pick up your favourite varieties at our garden centre and make this the year you start your mini-orchard.
Choose a sunny spot in fertile, moist but well-drained soil. Plant your tree at the same level it was growing in the pot (or in the field, if it's bare-root) and firm in. Then drive in a stake at 45° to the tree's trunk with the stake facing into the wind. Keep it well-watered in its first year or two and you can look forward to delicious fresh apples for years to come.
