Checking Out a Local Seedling Apple, ‘Heys Pippin’
Sometimes a seedling apple tree produces fantastic fruit, sometimes not. What’s the verdict on this local-to-me pip-grown tree?
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Ray Blockley Makes May S. Metzler’s ‘Oatmeal Betty’
Here’s Ray’s modern take on a 1921 pudding recipe from the Date Cook Book. Looks absolutely delicious!
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Gallery: Allotment Apples, Early Autumn 2026 Edition
A quick stroll around the apple trees on my plot, to see which varieties of apple I can look forward to picking this Autumn.
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New Apple Tree Update – Summer 2026 Edition
A quick progress report on how my newly planted cordons and graftling apple trees have coped in this year’s harsh conditions.
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Excessive Codling Moth Damage – Reduced Harvests Ahead?
This year is shaping up to be a good one for the moth population, and potentially quite a bad one for orchardists.
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We’re Enjoying a Record Blueberry Harvest This Year
One significant innovation in our blueberry growing method has resulted in a complete turnaround in our fortunes.
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A Few Notes on Seventeenth Century Fruit Carving Techniques
Back in the C17th, elaborate forms of carved fruit were apparently all the rage at high-status banquets, or so several sources suggest.
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A Few Notes on the Origins of ‘Pitmaston Pine Apple’
Another pomological research rabbit-hole beckons, as I take a look into the origins of the delightfully delicious ‘Pitmaston Pine Apple’.
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Five Years On: Development of a Fruiting Spur System
In which I revisit the subject of my ‘Year in the Life’ photo essay, to see how bourse-on-bourse fruiting structures grow and develop.
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Winter Pruning: Training a ‘Bramley’s Seedling’ on M9 Rootstock
Training a tip-bearing apple tree is a tricky task at the best of times, but when it’s a vigorous Bramley, is it even feasible?
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The Latest Part of the ‘Beefing’ Apples Story is Now Live
This instalment details the convoluted story of the (re?)discovery of ‘Herefordshire Beefing’ by Dr Robert Hogg and Dr Henry Graves Bull in 1876.
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Guest Post: Lawrence Weston on Mapping Birmingham’s Fruit Trees
The city of Birmingham, UK, has over 1,600 publicly accessible fruit trees and this fascinating project has mapped and catalogued every one of them.
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Gallery: Fruit Blossom, Early Spring 2026 Edition
Early blossom has been hit hard by a cold snap around these parts, but not before I snapped a few photos.
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Winter Pruning a Small ‘Brown Turkey’ Fig Tree
It’s fig-pruning season, and our backyard tree was due for a trim. Here’s how I went about it.
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Winter Pruning: Canopy Lifting and Canopy Thinning in Action
An overview of three recent pruning jobs, in which significant changes have been made to the shape and structure of the trees in question.
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A Few Notes on My Apple Grafting Plans, 2026 Edition
Grafting season is almost upon us, and this year I’m planning to graft no fewer than forty eight new apple trees.
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Book Notes: Growing Fruit, by Chris Whitelock
This new volume covers all the essential fruit growing principles in a clear, concise and clearly illustrated style, and is ideal for beginners.
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A Few Notes on My Plans for 2026
I’ve got a busy winter pruning, planting and grafting season ahead, and I’ll be helping out at a few local orchards as well. Here are all the details.
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The Twelve Historical Fruit Recipes of Christmas
Tra la laaaa la la laaaa la, tra la la la la laaaa! It’s Christmas time, and here’s a selection of fruity dishes from the archives for your holiday dinner table.
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Fruit Harvest Highlights – Autumn 2025 Edition
Part two of my harvest highlights from a superb fruit-growing year features plenty of autumn apples, pears, medlars and more.
