Focus on… Pears
IF our brains were on autopilot, pears would play second fiddle to apples, but discover a homegrown example of these juice-filled, aromatic fruits, and pear trees are sure to sit firmly at the top of your must-grow list.
Sunshine and spurring
Originating from central Asia, it’s a well known fact that pears enjoy life in the warmth. I look after a row of eight trained against a sunny brick wall and they crop prolifically, giving us early eaters, late mellowers, and everything in between.
They are trained as espaliers, the pear’s free-spurring nature lending itself to this shape readily; cordons are also a cinch – and both kinds are pruned in summer and winter.
“Pears demand a lot of nutrition and water”
There’s no grass around the roots – pears demand a lot of nutrition and water,
