Crops › Apple
How to grow Apple
in the UK
Sow November to March, plant out December, harvest August to March. About 180 days from seed to plate.
Growing your own apples, now that's a proper rewarding thing to do on the plot, isn't it? Takes a bit of patience, mind, but once they're established, you'll be getting cracking fruit for years. It's a tree fruit, so it's a bit of a commitment, but the taste of a fresh-picked apple is just something else.
Sowing
You'll be planting bare-root apple trees, usually from November right through to March when they're dormant. Find a good sunny spot, sheltered if you can. Dig a hole that's twice as wide as the roots spread and deep enough so the graft union, that's the knobbly bit, stays a good 10-15 cm above soil level. Spread those roots out nicely, backfill with soil mixed with a bit of compost, and firm it down with your boot. Give it a good water straight away, and stake it proper to stop it rocking in the wind, especially up here where it can get breezy, you know what I mean.
Growing on
Once your bare-root tree is in, it's all about getting it established. Make sure you've picked the right rootstock for your space – some are proper big trees, others are little dwarf ones for pots. Give it plenty of room to spread out, usually a few metres between trees depending on the rootstock. You won't be pricking out or hardening off like with your veg, just letting it settle in and start growing strong roots.
Looking after it
Water your apple tree well during dry spells, especially in its first few years. Prune it in winter to an open centre shape; that lets the air and sun get in for better fruit. In June, thin out some of the smaller fruits so the remaining ones can grow big and healthy. Companion planting chives or comfrey nearby can help keep things happy, too, like I say, every little helps.
What goes wrong
The usual suspects for apples are aphids, they can be a nuisance on new growth. Codling moth larvae can tunnel into the fruit, which is a proper shame. And apple scab, that's a fungal thing that shows up as spots on leaves and fruit. Keeping good air circulation with pruning helps a lot, and picking up fallen leaves stops diseases spreading, to be honest.
Harvest
You'll start picking your apples from August right through to March, depending on the variety, usually about 180 days after planting your bare-root tree. Give the apple a gentle twist; if it comes away easily, it's ready. Dessert apples keep best stored somewhere cool and dark, like in a shed or garage. Cookers, like a big Bramley, they keep brilliantly for baking, so you'll have plenty for crumbles all winter.
My top tip for apples is to get your rootstock right for your space. No point putting a proper big tree in a small garden, is there? Choose a dwarf or semi-dwarf if you're a bit tight on room, you'll be chuffed.
Dates for your plot
Type the first half of your postcode and the plant-out advice shifts to your area's typical frost dates.
Varieties, and whether the club would grow them again
| Variety | Club verdict |
|---|---|
| Discovery A cracking early apple, proper crisp and sweet for eating straight off the tree. Good for a quick harvest to kick off the season in late summer. | No club votes yet |
| Cox's Orange Pippin A classic for a reason, proper sweet-sharp flavour that everyone knows and loves. Needs a bit of care but well worth the effort for those lovely eating apples. | No club votes yet |
| Egremont Russet Distinctive russet skin and a lovely nutty taste, proper different from your usual apple. Keeps well and great for eating or baking through autumn. | No club votes yet |
| Bramley’s Seedling The king of cooking apples, proper sharp and breaks down beautifully when baked. If you bake, you need a Bramley on your plot, it's a cracking cropper. | No club votes yet |
| James Grieve Another cracking early one, good for eating straight off the tree or for a bit of cooking. Reliable and does well even in cooler spots, a solid choice. | No club votes yet |
| Fiesta (Red Pippin) Proper crisp and juicy, a lovely modern dessert apple that's a joy to eat. It's a reliable cropper and stores pretty well too, giving you fruit for longer. | No club votes yet |
| Spartan Lovely dark red skins and crisp white flesh, proper sweet and juicy. A good choice for eating and doesn't mind a bit of colder weather, so good for up North. | No club votes yet |
| Gala Super popular for its sweet, mild taste and crunchy texture, proper easy to eat. A good one for kids and reliable for a decent crop every year. | No club votes yet |
| Braeburn A proper firm, crisp apple with a great balance of sweet and tart flavours. Stores really well too, so you can enjoy them for ages after harvest. | No club votes yet |
| Katy (Katja) This early apple ripens lovely and red, proper sweet and a bit tart, great for eating. It's a good hardy one, even up here in the North, so worth a try. | No club votes yet |
| Sunset A lovely Cox-like flavour but often easier to grow, proper reliable. It's a cracking dessert apple and a good choice for smaller gardens or pots. | No club votes yet |
| Worcester Pearmain An old favourite, very sweet and has a lovely strawberry-like aroma. It's a proper reliable cropper, ready for eating straight off the tree in late summer. | No club votes yet |
Votes are members rating varieties in their Seed Tin, one vote per gardener. Tap a variety for the full page and where to buy.
Buy Apple seeds
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Cook the harvest
A stunning upside-down caramelised apple tart with French roots that has become a British dinner party staple. Golden, sticky apples sit beneath a crisp layer of buttery puff pastry, then the whole thing is flipped to reveal a beautifully bronzed top. Serve warm with crème fraîche for an elegant finish.
65 min · mediumA showstopping Sunday roast centred on a rolled pork loin filled with a fragrant apple, sage and onion stuffing. The sweet-tart apple cuts through the richness of the pork, while the crackling crisps up beautifully in the oven. This is a genuinely impressive centrepiece that takes minimal skill to execute well.
120 min · mediumThe French classic done with a British twist: firm eating apples are caramelised in a deeply salted butter caramel before being topped with a golden puff pastry lid and flipped to reveal a stunning, glossy tart. The salty-sweet caramel soaks into the pastry base as it bakes, creating layers of richness. Serve warm with a generous spoonful of clotted cream.
60 min · mediumA classic French-inspired tarte fine where wafer-thin slices of apple are fanned across buttery puff pastry and glazed to a deep, caramelised amber. The pastry stays crisp and flaky beneath the tender apple, and a final brush of warm apricot jam gives the tart a professional patisserie finish. Simple to make, spectacular to serve.
50 min · mediumWatch for, and grow alongside
Companions: chives, comfrey
Questions people ask
When do you sow Apple in the UK?
Sow Apple from November to March. Plant out December, after the last frost.
How long does Apple take from sowing to harvest?
Roughly 180 days, with the harvest August to March.
Which Apple varieties do gardeners grow again?
Club members rate every variety they grow. This page shows the grow-again votes for Discovery, Cox's Orange Pippin, Egremont Russet, Bramley’s Seedling and more.
Track your Apple from packet to plate
Sowing reminders and harvest forecasts for your own frost dates, the Seed Tin, Scan Centre for any label or packet, and the Potty Mouth Garden Club. Free to start.
Allotment keeper in the North East of England, the voice behind the Tony C Smith YouTube channel, and the gardener who built GrowMore CookMore. Club numbers on this page update as members log their plots. Last updated 3 September 2026.