Tinkers Yard
Community Orchard
Small orchards were once a common feature of our countryside,
villages and even towns, but most have sadly disappeared. Not
only were they a great source of seasonal fruit for local people but
a haven for wildlife - great for bees and butterflies, song birds and
hedgehogs.
The Wildflower Ark carried out this community project in 2011/12 which involved extensive research into locating and
recording old orchards in the Tees Valley. They recorded remnants of historic orchards associated with farms and country
houses as well as the commercial growing centres of the Norton area in the 19th Century.
The orchards in Norton supplied fruit to the growing urban population of Stockton and Middlesbrough. Although they
have now gone, the occasional relic tree can be found in the gardens of Victorian houses in the locality.
Today many more people are starting to value the diversity of English apple varieties and the simple pleasures of growing
fruit and foraging as well as jam and chutney making. Small community orchards are popping up all over England in public
places and schools.
Apple - Winston (Malus domestica 'Winston')
Type: Dessert Pollination Group: D - self fertile
Pick: November Use: January - April
Description: Deep crimson, striped, very thick skin, best eaten after
Christmas when it still has a crisp firm texture and sweet taste,
although slightly bitter to some palates. Forms a neat and tidy tree for
the small garden. Origin - Berkshire 1920
Apple - Tydeman's Late Orange (Malus domestica
'Tydeman's Late Orange')
Type: Dessert Pollination Group: D - self sterile
Pick: October Use: February - May
Description A fantastic dessert apple raised by Mr. Tydeman at
East Malling in Kent in 1930 from Laxton's Superb and Cox's Orange
Pippin. His 'late' greenish-yellow fruit, overlaid with dark purplish-red are
crisp, hard and juicy with an intensely rich Cox-like flavour. The fruit
mellows slightly and sweeten in storage but remain very good until May
if stored correctly. The blossom is very frost resistant.
Apple - Fiesta
(Malus domestica 'Fiesta')
Type: Dessert Pollination Group: B - self sterile
Pick: October Use: October - March
Description: Originated in Kent in 1986.Cross between Cox's and
Idared. Ready for picking late September/early October. Medium to
large fruit, pale yellow with red flush. The flesh is firm, perfectly crisp
and juicy. Free flowering and a heavy cropper.
Apple - James Grieve (Malus domestica 'James Grieve')
Type: Dessert Pollination Group: B - self fertile
Pick: September Use: September - October
Description: Almost full yellow, slightly flushed and red striped.
Grows well in the North and gives a good performance on nearly all
types of soil Probably the best September dessert apple, very prolific.
Raised in Edinburgh and first recorded in 1893.
Apple - Grenadier (Malus domestica 'Grenadier')
Type: Culinary ( cooking apple) Pollination Group: B - partially self
fertile
Pick: September Use: September - November
Description: Green, characteristic flat shape, can be cooked as early
as July. Magnificent flavour and cooks to a froth. Crops freely,
compact growth and succeeds on most soils, growing well in wet
climates. Received RHS First Class Certificate in 1883.
Apple- Bramley's Seedling
(Malus domestica 'Bramley's Seedling')
Type: Culinary ( cooking apple) Pollination Group: B - self sterile triploid
Pick: October
Use: November - May
Description: Large flat, round fruit, greenish yellow with slight red flush.
Cooks well, gives plenty of juice. A very vigorous grower with thick,
spreading branches. This best known of all cooking apples. It was raised
between 1809 and 1813 by Miss Mary Anne Brailsford and planted in her
garden at Church Street, Southwell, Nottingham. Her cottage, along with
the tree, passed to a Mr Bramley a local butcher
Apple - Dog's Snout (Malus domestica 'Dog's Snout')
Type: Dual Purpose ( great to eat and to cook)
Pollination Group: B - self sterile Pick: September
Use: October - November
Originated 1720 from Yorkshire, UK
Description: This rare Yorkshire Apple, is believed to be the
variety of apple that Captain Cook took on his voyages to
ward off scurvy amongst his crew. It produces unusual pearshaped fruit ( looking like a dogs snout!) have a wonderful,
distinct flavour. Delightful pale pink blossom in the Spring. It
is a very hardy and reliable but is rarely grown outside
Yorkshire and County Durham.
Apple - Spartan (Malus
domestica 'Spartan')
Type: Dessert
Pollination Group: B - self fertile
Pick: September
Use: October - December
Description: Wonderful dark purplish-red fruit which are firm, crisp and
juicy. The flavour is quite sweet and very refreshing, with a lovely
aroma. Bred by Mr. R. C. Palmer in British Columbia in 1926.
Although it isn't a local variety it is a good pollinator of other varieties
Apple- Rev. W. Wilks
(Malus domestica 'Grenadier')
Type: Culinary
Pollination Group: B - self sterile
Pick: September
Use: September - October
This superb mid-season cooker was named in honour of the Rev.
Wilks who was the president of the RHS by Messrs. Veitch of Slough
in 1904 when it received an RHS Award of Merit. The very large fruit
are a pale primrose yellow, flushed with a delicate pinky-red and cook
to a pale yellow froth with a delicate aromatic flavour. This variety
makes a dwarfish tree suitable for small gardens and is very hardy
and disease resistant, and it does well even in the North of England.
tendency to be biennial.
Plum - Victoria (Prunus domestica 'Victoria')
Type: Dual Purpose (cooking and eating)
Pollination Group: B - self fertile Pick: August Use: August
Description: It is probable that this famous variety was originally
found as a chance seedling in a garden at Alderton, Sussex in the
1830s, but unfortunately the story of its early history has mainly been
lost. The trees are quite fast growing, making a medium-sized and
spreading tree. The fruit, a deep carmine rose, have a wonderful
flavour and as well as a dessert they make the very best jams.
complete without one.
Plum - Laxton's Cropper
(Prunus domestica 'Laxton's Cropper')
Type: Culinary Pollination Group: B - self fertile
Pick: September Use: September
Description: Introduced in 1928, this is a very heavy cropper with
reddish-purple fruit which are only slightly smaller than Victoria. Fine
flavour, juicy and keeps for quite a long time.
Pear - Hessle
(Pyrus communis 'Hessle')
Type: Dessert
Pollination Group: C - self sterile
Pick: October
Use: October
Description: Known locally as the Hazel pear, this very old variety
probably arose at Hessle near Hull, East Yorkshire and was first
recorded in 1827, though is almost certainly much older. Small
greenish-yellow fruit overlaid with some russeting, the flesh is
white, juicy and fairly sweet. The main advantage of this pear is
that it is extremely hardy and reliable - it will grow and fruit just
about anywhere.
Pear - Concorde
(Pyrus communis 'Concorde')
Type: Dessert
Pollination Group: C - self sterile
Pick: October
Use: November - December
Description: A cross between Conference and Doyenne de Comice
raised at East Malling in 1977, this relatively recent introduction has
already met with widespread acclaim - heavy crops of pale yellow
russeted fruit with a lovely sweet buttery flavour that melts in the mouth.
Makes a compact tree, so excellent for the smaller garden and the best
choice of pear for growing as a cordon.(Pyrus communis 'Concorde')
More information about apples and orchards
Buying fruit trees and bushes
The fruit trees that we are planting have been grown by RW Rogers. They are a nursery near Pickering and have extensive
experience in growing a huge variety of fruit trees. Most of this information has been copied ( with permission) from their
website. RV Roger Ltd, The Nurseries, Malton Road (A169), Pickering, North Yorkshire, YO18 7JW. Tel: 01751 472226.
[email protected], http://www.rvroger.co.uk/
A great book to put on your Christmas list - The Apple Orchard: The Story of Our Most English Fruit by Pete Brown ( this has also
been serialised on radio 4 and can be found on the BBC i-player)
The Orchard Network - A website with information on orchard projects in the UK, community orchards, events, nurseries,
orchard services in your area, or where to pick local fruit .https://ptes.org/campaigns/traditional-orchard-project/orchard-network/