Ruud Kleinpaste: Fruit trees in action

We had a bit of rain this week… and a huge amount of wind as well. 

It really showed me I had underestimated the ripeness of my “Sanguine Peaches”, a variety that never fails to perform here in Christchurch. An acquired taste: very sweet and spicey; The name originates from Sanguine de Savoie, meaning “the blood of savoy”. 

Another favourite tree fruit is the apple “Initial”; perfectly crisp and not too sweet; the great thing about “Initial” is that it seems to be quite resistant to all sorts of diseases, so… easy to grow in an organic garden. 

Pome fruit (apples) are best pruned in wintertime, when the tree is dormant. They require good eyesight, as you’ll need to be careful leaving the fruiting spurs so that the tree has some fruit to set next season. Watch the shape and size of those spurs when you harvest the fruit, so you know what to look for during winter pruning. 

One apple I always “wait” for is the late ripening “Monty’s Surprise”; An old apple variety, discovered a few decades ago 

It has several wonderful advantages: It’s relatively resistant to diseases and pests – I’ve noticed little evidence of black spot and such pathogens 

In the earlier part of the season (late March, early April) Monty’s surprise is a tangy cooking apple – the fruit are large… some get too “huge”; 

Mid-April onwards, when the fruit ripens further, it becomes an eating apple. Tastes great! 

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