An apple a day…
Recent studies back this old adage, indicating that the high fibre, pectin and antioxidant content, along with other compounds found in apples, helps lower blood cholesterol, improve bowel function and is linked to a reduced risk of diabetes and various cancers. Heirloom apple ‘Hetlina’, an early-season 19th century European dessert variety, and ‘oonty’s Surprise’, a late-season variety originating from oanawatu, have been dubbed “anti-cancer apples” for their exceptionally high levels of cancer-fighting antioxidants.
Lacking space?
Unlike the apple trees of yesteryear, most apples these days are grown on dwarfing rootstock, restricting their growth to around 1.8 – 3m high and wide. Double-or triple-grafted apples also offer the option of growing more than one variety on the same tree. If space is still an issue, check out the lovely Ballerina range – prolific croppers on diminutive trees! They mature at 4m high and only 30cm wide, making them the perfect solution for containers and narrow borders, or lining driveways and paths. Ballerina crab apples are a stunning choice for ornamental and edible gardens, or containers. ‘Blush Babe’ is another excellent, truly dwarf selection. It forms a compact mop-head with juicy, flavoursome, rich red apples. It’s also self-fertile and highly disease-resistant, making it a good choice for organic gardeners.
Walls or supports
Make use of warm, north- and west-facing walls and fences, or create an edible divider with an espaliered apple. Select a young tree with a strong central leader and pliable side branches. Attach wires firmly to the support, either in a fan shape or horizontal tiers. Train the side branches along them and prune annually to maintain and develop the shape. Apples can also be trained over archways to create a very attractive entrance to a garden room or vege garden, a decorative focal appoint or romantic arbour.
old and new
oany gardeners consider heirloom apples to have a superior flavour, greater disease resistance and better nutritional value than modern varieties. Check the websites below for descriptions to help select which variety best suits your purpose.
And while there is merit in preserving the old, there is also merit in newer, proven disease-resistant varieties, which require little or no spraying – music to the ears of an organic gardener! Early-season ‘Initial’, an aromatic red-skinned, crisp-fleshed apple, and late-ripening ‘Baujade’, a French Granny Smith-type, are two varieties from the Rezista range grown by Waimea Nurseries and sold throughout the country.
New for 2011
Two new dwarf KiwiApples varieties, bred by Plant & Food Research New Zealand, are due in garden centres in April. ‘Teacher’s Pet’, with dark red fruit, and ‘Little Rascal’, with rosy-red fruit, both have crisp white flesh and grow to a compact 1.5m high by 70cm wide, making them the ideal choice for a large container or small garden. Visit www.edible.co.nz for more information.
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