Update: 9th October 2024
Many thanks to everyone who attended the Apple Weekend - it was lovely to meet so many of you. We had an exceptionally busy couple of days, apple tasting and our talks and demos proved extremely popular, and we received a lot of lovely feedback which was much appreciated.
As ever, huge thanks too to the stallholders who attended - illustrator Bridget Gillespie, Pickering Hedgehog Rescue, Cafe Racer, local craftswoman Lynne Reed and Forest of Flowers. You all helped make the weekend such an undoubted success, so thank you!
The next Apple Weekend will once again be held in early October in 2025. This page will be updated with full details nearer the time.
5th and 6th October 2024
Once again we'll be holding our annual Apple Weekend here at the nursery in Pickering, on the first weekend in October. We've been holding this event for more years than we care to remember, as an opportunity to showcase the range of fruit trees we offer but also to pass on as much information and advice as we can on all aspects of fruit growing. We were invited to take part in the first national Apple Day celebration organised by Common Ground at Covent Garden, London in 1990 - the aim was both to celebrate the diversity of fruit, but also to raise awareness of the risks of this diversity being lost. The number of similar events held up and down the country has increased enormously over the past 30 years, and we are proud to have played a very small part in showcasing the rich history of the humble apple.
The centrepiece of our weekend is the display of orchard fruit in our Cambridge greenhouse. We will have over 200 varieties of apple on display, as well as quince, medlars, pears, and nashi. It's a rare opportunity to see such a huge range of fruit all in one place - and we offer trees of all these varieties and more. Whether you are planning to choose new varieties, want to try and identify existing trees or are just interested in the range and diversity of apples in the UK, it's a wonderful opportunity. We also aim to have a display of older, heritage varieties which date back to before 1800, a range of Yorkshire apples and also a display of dual-purpose apples (often overlooked as being Jack-of-all-trades, but in fact there are some superb apples in this group which deserve to be more widely known).
Although we are a nursery, so our primary focus is on growing trees, at this time of year we do have some fruit on the thousands of young trees in our fields. Over the weekend we will be offering tasting of some of the varieties which are at their best in early October (unfortunately it's not possible to offer as wide a range as we would like - some have already gone over whilst others will not yet be ripe). We'll also have fruit for sale, including many rare varieties it simply isn't possible to buy in the shops.
Talks and Demonstrations
Saturday 5th October
11.00am - Fruit tree pruning for beginners
12.00pm - Fruit tree pests and diseases
1.30pm - Trained fruit - pruning for walls, fences and feature trees
2.30pm - Apples, too much choice! How to choose the right varieties for you
4.00pm - Informal Q&A
Sunday 6th October
11.00am - Fruit tree pruning for beginners
12.00pm - Fruit tree pests and diseases
12.45pm - Forest of Flowers (Guest speaker). Pollinator habitat creation and wildflower areas
1.30pm - Trained fruit. Pruning for walls, fences and feature trees
2.30pm - Apples, too much choice! How to choose the right varieties for you
3.30pm - Informal Q&A
We'll be holding talks and demonstrations across both days - full of practical advice on how to get the very best out of your trees. All of our staff are highly knowledgeable, so are happy to answer any questions you may have.
The Plant Centre will also be full of Autumn bedding for all your winter pots and containers, along with our vast range of bulbs.
RV Roger Plant Centre
Malton Road
Pickering
YO18 7JW
Saturday 5th October - 9.00am until 5.00pm
Sunday 6th October - 9.00am until 4.00pm
