Autumn Fruit

How About Quinces?

Quinces are a truly ancient export fruit; they're native to Iran, which put them in exactly the right place to be spread throughout the Middle East and Europe with the first flowering of Bronze Age civilisations. Somewhere along this ancient journey, somebody had a stroke of genius and invented quince paste. Home-made quince paste is so good on a cheese platter, it's almost better than the cheese! 

Quince (Cydonia oblonga) is a fruit that isn't usually eaten raw, as it’s quite tough and very tart. But don’t let that put you off: quinces are the star ingredient in some delightful foodie recipes. Quinces are traditionally used for jellies or jams, as they're naturally high in pectin. They're also delicious stewed, poached or roasted. The fruit has a lovely floral fragrance and a honey-sweet flavour after cooking. 

Golden-coloured quinces are left on the tree to ripen as long as possible, then harvested around April. Quinces do best in Temperate areas, which give them the cool winter they need to trigger flowering. Like apples and pears, they’re hardy deciduous trees , although they don't grow as vigorously.

A quince tree in flower.

Quinces should be lightly pruned each year, selectively removing 1/3 of the weakest or most flexible shoots, to force them to develop new shoots for next year's harvest. It's best to train quince trees early on, so they have a short trunk with spreading 'vase-shaped' leaders that let light into the centre of the tree.

If left unpruned they can grow into quite large trees, but smaller varieties that grow to about 4m tall are available. Look out for quince trees in your local nursery this winter.

Our quince planting pro tip – mix a handful of Yates Dynamic Lifter Organic Plant Food into the bottom of the planting hole before planting, the tree will love it.

Citrus Care Plan

In autumn, citrus trees are busy with ripening fruit. If you aren't getting regular rain, give your citrus trees a deep drink every week. Low soil moisture can really affect fruit quality, so it’s important to ensure they have enough water.

Fertiliser is equally important, to nourish the developing fruit. Citrus are notoriously hungry for nutrients, so feeding each week with Yates Thrive Citrus Liquid Plant Food makes a real difference. It's an easy job, all the more so since you're taking care of feeding and watering at the same time!

Yates Thrive Citrus Liquid Plant Food contains a tailored blend of nitrogen (to promote green leaf growth), phosphorus (for strong root development) and potassium (to encourage flowering and quality fruit), in just the right proportions to keep citrus happy and productive. Just mix 2 capfuls into a 9L watering can, and water it in around the root zone of your trees. It's ideal for both in-ground and potted citrus.

Disease Watch: Phytophthora

Citrus trees love moist but well drained soil, which creates a healthy environment for their roots to thrive and lower trunks to remain dry and healthy. However, prolonged wet weather and saturated soil can encourage development of collar rot diseases like phytophthora stem canker.

These diseases affect the ability of a citrus tree to effectively absorb water from soil, leading to poor health (and harvests) and even tree death, if left untreated.

Here are a few steps you can take to help reduce the risk of citrus collar and root rot diseases:

• Remove the lower hanging branches of citrus trees, to improve the air flow around the lower trunk.

• Applying mulch over the trees root zone is beneficial, as it helps keep the roots moist. However, make sure mulch doesn't directly touch the trunk (leave a gap), as this promotes exactly the sort of moist conditions that collar rot needs to get started.

• If cankers appear on trunk or stems, remove any dead bark or tissue from the area. Mix Yates Liquid Copper into water-based paint (at 250mL per litre of paint) and paint it with a brush, over and around the canker. One or two repeat applications per season may be all that’s required for natural healing to commence.