Fruit tree growing

About this website

If you are looking for:

• advice on which trees to plant
• advice on how to restore an old orchard
• advice on how to prune old apple trees
• pruning old plum trees
• how to keep old trees healthy
• the right nutrition for old trees
• advice on how to plan a new garden orchard
• how to deal with fruit tree diseases

you are in the right place!

Dan Neuteboom, the author of all the material on this website, can provide tailored advice on these and other fruit growing problems, remotely or with an on-site visit. Just send a message by email (enquiries@realenglishfruit.co.uk) or using our web contact form, and he will provide an estimate for the solution.

Why is the website called www.realenglishfruit.co.uk? Because there is a difference between the fruit that you find in your supermarket, and the fruit that you could grow in your garden. Wherever you live, there will be certain varieties best suited to local conditions, and these will deliver the best taste, texture and succulent juiciness. We can recommend the right varieties of apple, pear, plum, greengage and cherry. So you can grow your own real English fruit. That’s why we are realenglishfruit.co.uk. Not supermarket.fruit.uk!

Our website contains a lot of information on growing fruit in a garden orchard, including pruning fruit trees, thinning, fruit tree pest control, planting fruit trees, training fruit trees as espalier, fan, cordon or stepover, and much more. Use the menu or the site map below (scroll down) to find the topics you need.

Fruit tree care November 2020

From November, apple and pear trees can be pruned, but the task can be performed at any time up until March. Read more about pruning here. Orchard hygiene is important to prevent the possibility of fungal infections. Ensure that the trees are protected against rabbits, muntjacs, deer and so forth.

Click here to discover all our fruit growing tips for November.

Watch a video tutorial about how to prune an old apple tree.

Dan featured in Suffolk Magazine

Dan and Henrietta Neuteboom have been featured in an article in Suffolk Magazine (October 2020) titled “Dan’s wonderful world of apples“. The article by Marion Welham conveys Dan’s lifelong passion for apples, from the age of 4 when apples were an important part of nutrition in occupied Holland, right up until today and his ambition to help anyone grow quality fruit in their garden. To read the article, click on the link below to download it as a pdf, or click here to read the article on the Suffolk Magazine website. Article and pdf courtesy of Archant/Suffolk Magazine.

Suffolk Magazine article in pdf format

Video channel

The videos published on this website illustrate the critical stages of fruit development, from the period from blossom to fruit formation, in a chronological sequence throughout the year. Click here to see the videos currently available.

Watch a video tutorial on how to shape a tree without pruning, narration by Dan Neuteboom, camera by John Paddy.

How to keep older trees in production

Working with old trees on a regular basis gives a real feel of companionship with these living organisms, which, like all of us, are ageing, changing over the course of time, learning to deal with the changing environment around them. There are ways of looking after trees over 30 years old to keep them in production. Read our article and discover the 6 main points to maintain fruit trees at a manageable size.