Apples everywhere!

This will be the third autumn I've experienced in my Wyke garden and it's opening with a bumper crop of apples.

When I moved into the house, in February 2011, the gnarled old tree seemed ripe for an appointment with the axe. It was past its best and that first summer the crop was pitiful.

It didn't help that the tree just to the north of, and dwarfed by, four tall conifers at at least three times its height. It was almost below their canopy and as a result, it was growing in a very lop-sided fashion, towards the light to the north.

The crop last summer, the second I experienced, was equally poor. I picked perhaps 20-30 fruit. But that autumn the conifers came down. Suddenly my apple tree was exposed to light in way it hadn't experienced for perhaps a decade.

Perfect weather brings a huge harvest

The media is packed with reports that this year's apple harvest will be outstanding for both quantity and quality. Last year's wet autumn, followed by a late spring has created ideal conditions for apples.

In addition, my tree has benefited by no longer being overshadowed. All of these factors have combined to see its branches laden with heavy, green fruit.

Never having owned an apple tree before, nor having enjoyed a major harvest until now, I'm not quite sure what to do with them all. Lots have already been picked and cooked, but there are still lots more waiting to be brought down.

How to care for the apple tree

Now that the tree has demonstrated an ability to fruit well, my decision to axe it has been postponed. If I give it some care and attention, will it continue to produce a good crop for years to come?

I have begun to research the care and maintenance of apple trees, drawing largely on the Royal Horticultural Society website and particularly the pages covering renovation of old fruit trees.

I also want to identify, if possible, the variety of apple growing in my garden. I know it's a cooker, not an eater, but that's the extent of my knowledge so far.

If you have any tips for adding a new lease of life to an old apple tree, or how to determine the variety of apple, please let me know with a comment.