IF our brains were on autopilot, pears would play second fiddle to apples, but once you discover a home-grown example of these juice-filled, aromatic fruits pear trees will sit at the top of your must-grow list.
The shape of things to come
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. There’s no grass around the roots – pears demand a lot of nutrition and water, so we lay seep hoses along the wall base, and I mulch each spring with well-rotted manure, topping nitrogen levels up midsummer with a standard application of chicken
