Apple Progress Report

A post only really suited to the extreme apple nerds. As I've got at least five varieties fruiting for the first time this year, I thought it necessary to chart their progress with excruciating detail. Every variety flowers and fruits its own way. Some varieties bloom profusely while others struggle to flower at all. Some bolt out of the gate with spring while others are compelled to get up late, like me. They also all start to show of their unique appearances from day one with some red ripe while only the size of marbles. The following is an early snapshot of all the fruits that will appear this year.

This is the Bramley. Only a couple of fruits this year, maybe just one. A very characteristic shape, kind of looks like a naval mine. These emerge from huge, bold flowers, quite late in spring.

First fruiting year for the Calville Blanc. Like the Bramley it is a triploid so at least two other varieties are necessary for pollination. I have oodles. Really measly little flowers which appear late like the Bramley.

First fruit from the Corryong Pippin. No surprise as this is the infamous 'mop-graft' with its body builders root system. The fruit are a perfect bright green and will ripen to deep yellow with a slight red blush.

The Snow Apple has some nice clusters of fruit this year, even if it does have an apple STD.

Summer Strawberry way the star performer last year and the only tree to produce respectable, edible fruit. This year is shaping up to be even better.

The Crofton is the earliest apple I've got. It has the first blossom and its fruit is already almost twenty cent piece size.

The Sturmer is another late bloomer but a respectable first crop.

This is the Bonza graft growing like mad on the Sturmer. Amazingly it hast two fruit that I can't bring myself to remove. Their weight may become a problem for the integrity of the graft so I'm cooking up a way to support them, probably something excessive.