Garden Bloggers' Muse Day: I would plant...

Crisp red and juicy 'Red Windsor'

I've made no secret of my love of apples and it gladdens my heart to see it's the best year ever for my crop here at VP Gardens. Despite giving up my ten trees up at the allotment, two out of the three I have here have outdone themselves this year.

Blossom time coincided with April's warm weather and the sound of happy bees droning through the flowers led to pretty much 100% pollination. Even with the drastic June Drop I showed you during the dry months of early summer, the branches of my 'Herefordshire Russet' and 'Red Windsor' are groaning downwards with fruit.

I've been harvesting them since late August and we still have hundreds of apples to go. Freezer space has been cleared so I can load it up with chopped, cooked apples to go with my winter porridge. This takes care of the damaged fruit and soon I'll wrap the perfect specimens for storage.

Of all the crops in my garden, apples are proving to be well worth their space in terms of both beauty and bounty. I think they're a little earlier this year by around 2-3 weeks. Have you noticed something similar?

Golden 'Herefordshire Russet'


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