There are at least 17 varieties of apple, some crab apple, a couple of pear, greengage, plum and a quince tree growing around Ford Park.

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You will find them in

    - the walled garden,

    - the orchard beside the coach house,

    - around the play area,

    - and the woodland behind the play area.

 

We also have wild blackberries and raspberries, a grapevine in the orchard plus currant bushes, a grape vine and strawberries in the walled garden.

 

Apples

 

In the walled garden the ‘cordoned’ trees growing against the white wall are all dessert (eating apples), Red Devil, Ribston Pippin and Ashmead’s Kernel.

 

The espalier trees around the sales area are all cookers, Keswick Codling, Autumn Harvest, Lane’s Prince Albert, Cockpit Improved and Arthur Turner.

 

In the orchard beside the coach house are cordoned trees against the wall and several standard trees. They are a mix of cooking and dessert apples.

 

Round the playground the small espaliers were planted to create a fence and to encourage children to eat the fruits, (when ripe).

 

All the apples and pears in the park are local varieties that happily grow in the north of England.

 

 

Growing apples and pears.

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They like a sheltered, sunny spot with reasonable drainage. Soil can be improved prior to planting if it is shallow or of poor quality.

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The cordoned and espalier trees, both apple and pear, are trained into their shape when young and pruned each year in late August and February to maintain their size and encourage fruiting.

 

Keeping the bases of trees clear of weeds is beneficial and applying a mulch helps retain moisture. A spring feed of a general purpose fertilizer or wood ash, which provides potassium, will encourage flowers and fruit.