We get lots of enquiries about growing fruit trees in the UK at altitude, often from people who have seen Sepp Holzer at over 3600ft in Austria.
They are surprised to hear us say:
“Unfortunately, your high altitude, windswept location sounds beautiful, but terrible for fruit trees in the UK.
South facing gets sun, but those harsh prevailing winds are mainly south-westerly.
North facing will limit your best options down to sour fruit like Morello Cherries and Damsons, maybe some cooking or cider apples.”
Because we do a good impression of being nice, friendly people, we try to explain why this is a problem:
“Air temperatures are lower in Spring & Autumn, so fruit trees flower later and have less time to ripen: this has a worse effect on large and/or sweet fruit than it does on small and/or sour fruit, but it’s never good.
Strong wind is a problem for pollinating insects, which require a lot of shelter to move around your garden and actually stay in the fruit trees!”
We would love to sell as many orchards as we can, but for most honest gardeners in the UK, it will be very difficult to copy high altitude growers like Sepp Holzer.
Austria is far further South, and the continental growing season there is longer and hotter.
Still want to try here on this Great British Isle? Good.
To the Mountain Fruit Grower, consider:
- Windbreaks and hedges around and through your garden are like veins carrying bees around your trees, which are like wooden legs that need bees for blood. Don’t overthink it, it’s just like that. Plant these without delay if you are planning an orchard.
- Soft fruit plants have later flowering times and ripen in a shorter growing season. They are closer to the ground, catching less wind. You can grow them in rows between fruit trees to help connect them for bees.
- Grow some fruit trees as cordons, espaliers, or fans against a sheltered South facing wall, where they will be warmer and ripen faster.
- Above 900 feet, most people should not bother unless you have an unusually ideal, sheltered South facing site without late Spring frosts: good luck! Most soft fruit will struggle, but you can try lingonberries, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, and billberries, V. myrtillus.
that kind of answers why my fruit trees have had no fruit in 20years i garden in the northwest at 1350 ft !
We have cooking apples in a sheltered south facing location that produce every other year at 800ft. I am tempted to try plums and apricots. Reading this, am i nuts?
If it is sheltered, plum trees might be worth a try. Go for a late flowering variety such as Marjories Seedling to lessen the risk of frost damage to the blossom.
I would be inclined to stay away from almonds. One, they are prone to a range of fungal diseases and two, there is a risk that if they cross pollinate with your plums the latter will be bitter (they are closely related).
Hope this helps – good luck
I plan an orchard in a sheltered location at 850 feet in Exmoor. If I press ahead with apples, can you recommend the varieties of trees that will have the best chance of producing in this location?
Thanks for your query. We would not really recommend any variety because we don’t know enough about your local area.
I live on Exmoor at 1,000 feet and have laxton superb and bramley reliably producing fruit every year. They are in a fairly sheltered position but we don’t tend to have late frosts up here.
Thank you for your comment. This is great feedback, and we would love a photo of your high altitude laxton superb for our website! As you say, local conditions as well as altitude play a vital role in growth and productivity of any plant. Kind regards Ashridge.