Shropshire apple growers enjoying bumper harvest

This year's weather has created the ideal conditions for a bumper crop of crunchy, sweet and rosy apples, according to experts. Other years have seen larger numbers of apples, few have produced such a high quality crop.

Tom Adams, known as Shropshire's "Apple Man" said there has been a happy combination of conditions, with a cold start followed by hot sunny spells, but enough rain to swell the fruit.

Mr Adams runs a fruit tree nursery in Weston Rhyn, near Oswestry. He said: "It's good all round. There's not been much disease, no scab or canker – fungal diseases that like it warm and wet."

Last year's apple orchards had a poor harvest after a cool and wet spring and summer.

Jim Arbury, fruit specialist at the Royal Horticultural Society said this year's cold winter and spring helped set up the fruit.

He added: "In the spring crops were lagging up to a month behind but a sudden burst of sunshine in prime ripening season late June and July has helped the apples gain some ground and ripen up beautifully."

Mr Adams,added: "Certain types do better in some areas than others. I know the trees I sell in my nursery are trees that do well in this area.

For example, Cox's Orange Pippin is not a good apple to grow in this area, he said.

"I sell varieties that are local and varieties that grow well locally."

These include three types of dessert apple: Discovery, which originated in Essex in 1949, Blenhein Orange, grown first in Oxford in 1740 and Red Devil, from Kent, a modern variety created in 1979.

Mr Adams said these apple trees grew well in Shropshire and the Welsh Marches as they have good resistance to disease.

And now the harvest is coming in, people are being urged to make good use of any unwanted fruit, or help growers to get the most out of their crop.

National Trust properties in the area are planning apple days and produce shows.

Attingham Park, near Shrewsbury, has 130 fruit trees in its grounds, including 37 apple varieties. Some of the oldest, like the Worcester Russet and Grenadier, date back to the 1850s.

The estate also owns an apple press, made of English green oak, which was specially commissioned and funded by money raised at its second-hand book shop.

This weekend, it will be in action producing Attingham apple juice, with pressings at 11am, 1pm and 3pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

Dudmaston Estate at Quatt, near Bridgnorth, will hold an Orchard Day on Sunday where apples will be harvested and pressed.

Visitors will be invited to share their favourite apple recipes by writing them out and hanging them on a tree in the orchard. But before apples can be pressed they must first be picked. The estate has called in the help of volunteers to gather hundreds of apples in preparation for the event. They include Glyn Hawkes and Alex Martin, aged 21 and 22, from Harper Adams University, Newport, who are carrying out work placements at the estate.

Apple-related events will also take place in Coalbrookdale, as Shropshire Apple Trust holds its annual event on October 12.

Tamzin Jones, who is helping to organise the event, said: "Last year was a very, very poor fruit year and this year has been a fabulous year. On a lot of apple trees branches are breaking because they're so laden.

"A lot of people will have more fruit than they know what to do with and, if they want to bring them to our apple day at the Green Wood Centre, they'll be able to press them and make their own juice."

In Oswestry, the Incredible Edible project is calling for donations of excess fruit to start an apple juicing project this autumn.

Volunteers are asking for help collecting apples from orchards in the town and surrounding areas. These will be pressed and their juice sold, with any proceeds going back into local growing projects.

Martin Anderson, from Incredible Edible Oswestry, said: "We'll be needing pickers at orchards through September and October."

Fruit can be given to Honeysuckle in Church Street or the Walls Restaurant in Welsh Walls.

The town will also hosting an apple day in its market on the Bailey Head on October 19 with a range of activities and stalls.