Orchard Fruits in the East of England

With a temperate climate arising from latitudes around 52 degrees north of the equator close to the moderating influence of the North Sea and on the drier side of England, the low-lying countryside of East of England is well placed for the cultivation of apples, pears, cherries, plums and gages. As yet, the temperatures are a little chilly for open-field cultivation of peaches and nectarines, although these can crop and ripen in sheltered situations such as walled gardens.

The region we cover has areas of exceptionally fertile arable land and are close to significant populations that should provide a ready market for orchard produce.

So it is understandable that fruit breeders from the region have introduced many world-renowned varieties as can be seen on the pages of this section.

Yet the natural advantages of this countryside have been unable to outweigh the economic pressure of labour cost and poor returns of orchard crops compared with arable crops.  Cheap bulk transport from warmer climes, coupled with a lack of willingness or ability to invest in modern production and storage, has meant that over the latter half of the twentieth century the region has almost completely lost the capability to supply the now dominant supermarket sector and the public have become attuned to a restricted range of shiny, blemish-free fruit that often tastes markedly inferior to varieties that were widespread just a few decades ago.  Whilst the fruit breeders continue to introduce stunning new varieties, these seem constrained by commercial specifications.

Inevitably, the orchards of Eastern England have been grubbed up and destroyed for other crops or infrastructure development at a rate that threatens our heritage and the bio-diversity of traditional orchards. Alarmingly, some varieties that were well documented just 50 years ago are thought to have vanished.  Even in gardens, fruit trees sucumb to disease and old age and are replaced by lawns or new housing in-fill.

Increasing awareness of the treasure of our fruit heritage is heartening and every autumn thousands of people attend Apple Days.  Your interest and support for this conservation project is very welcome and we hope that you find the information about our local varieties of interest.  If you know of unusual or old fruit trees that appear to be deliberately planted in a garden or orchard and you are unsure of the varieties, please get in touch - you may have discovered a lost variety which we can save by propagating it on to new rootstock!