Bite-Sized Orchard: Mastering Dwarf Apple Trees

Guest post by Katrina & Clayton

Dwarf apple trees are an excellent choice for Scottish gardens. They are compact, manageable but still produce full sized apples, making them ideal for smaller spaces and urban gardening. With the right care, these trees do well in Scotland’s temperate climate.

Growing Dwarf Apple Trees in Scotland

Dwarf apple trees (Malus Domestica Discovery Dwarf), typically grafted onto rootstocks that control their size, can reach heights of 8 to 10 feet. This makes them perfect for gardens with limited space or for growing in pots or on a patio. In Scotland, the cool, damp climate is generally favourable for apple trees, though attention must be paid to variety selection, frost protection, and ensuring adequate sunlight. We have all dwarf rootstock for our fruit tree orchard in the food forest area so pruning and harvesting is easier for us. 

Apple trees are either dessert or culinary, many culinary or cooking apples become sweeter on storage, lending themselves to dessert use from late winter. Apples need pollination from a different cultivar that flowers at the same time, having 2 or 3 is the ideal, but if you don’t have the space you’ll be relying on pollen from a neighbouring apple tree brought in by the wind.  We have many different varieties in our garden. Dessert Apples– Malus Katy, Malus Red Devil. Cooking Apples– Malus Arther Turner, Lord Derby to name a few.

Here are some of our apples from last season (Autumn 2023)

Planting Dwarf Apple Trees

Timing: The best time to plant dwarf apple trees in Scotland is in the late winter to early spring (February to April) when the ground is not frozen. Autumn planting (September to November) is also possible, provided there is no risk of early frost.

Site Selection: Choose a sunny location with at least six hours of direct sunlight daily. While dwarf apple trees are more forgiving of partial shade than standard-sized trees, full sun is ideal for fruit production. Soil Preparation: Dwarf apple trees prefer well drained, fertile soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0. Before planting, enrich the soil with compost to improve fertility and drainage. We have added Caledonian Kelpie Compost around the base of all of our fruit trees this year as it contains a unique blend of seaweeds containing over 80 minerals, trace elements, vitamins and natural plant hormones. This was a great option for adding nutrients, and boosting the tree’s survival and growth

Planting Technique:

Digging the Hole: Dig a hole twice as wide and as deep as the tree’s root ball.

Preparing the Tree: Soak the tree’s roots in water for a few hours before planting. This is really important especially if they have become rootbound in pots while growing, it allows for better and quicker transplanting to its new place. However, Bare root apple trees are despatched without soil and not actively growing from November to March throughout the UK so can just be planted, this is what we use as it makes it easier to plant with a smaller hole needing to be dug. 

Planting: Place the tree in the hole, ensuring the graft union (the swollen area where the scion was grafted onto the rootstock) is above soil level. Backfill with soil, firming gently.

Watering: Water thoroughly after planting to settle the soil around the roots.

Clayton planting out some bare root apple trees (Winter 2023)

Pruning Dwarf Apple Trees

Pruning is crucial for maintaining the shape, health, and productivity of dwarf apple trees. 

Initial Pruning: During the early years, years 1-3 of being established in your garden, a light tidy up is all that’s required until your fruit tree reaches the required size. After that, pruning a dwarf tree follows the same guidelines as their traditional sized counterparts.

Annual Pruning: In subsequent years, prune in late winter or early spring before new growth starts. Remove dead, diseased, or crossing branches to improve air circulation and sunlight penetration.

Managing Root Suckers: Regularly check for and remove root suckers (shoots emerging from the rootstock) to maintain tree health and prevent unwanted growth.

Caring for Dwarf Apple Trees

Watering: Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged, especially during dry spells and the first two years after planting. Water deeply to encourage deep root growth.

Mulching: Apply a 5-10 cm (2-4 inch) layer of organic mulch around the base of the tree, keeping it away from the trunk. This conserves moisture, suppresses weeds, and improves soil fertility. We used the Caledonian Kelpie Compost this year and are already seeing great fruiting results

Pest and Disease Management: Regularly inspect the trees for pests such as aphids, codling moths, and apple scab. Remove fallen leaves and fruit to reduce disease risk

Here are this seasons apples growing on various trees across our gardens (Spring 2024)

Companion Planting with Dwarf Apple Trees

Companion planting can improve tree health, deter pests, and enhance productivity.

Good Companions:

Chives and Garlic: Repel aphids and other pests. We plant chives under each of our trees.

Marigolds: Attract beneficial insects and repel nematodes.

Comfrey: Acts as a dynamic accumulator, improving soil health.

Bad Companions:

Grass: Competes for nutrients and water. Always have a good circle under your trees of no grass, to allow the trees to thrive correctly. You can see we use strawberries for ground cover to suppress weeds under our trees. 

Potatoes: Can spread blight to apple trees.

Our trees growing in a small raised bed by the house, and 2 in the food forest area at different heights/fulness

Did you know that you need just five fruit trees to constitute an orchard! 

Growing dwarf apple trees in Scotland can be rewarding, providing delicious fruit and an attractive addition to your garden. By selecting suitable varieties, planting in the right conditions, and following best practices for pruning, care, and companion planting, you can ensure your dwarf apple trees thrive. With the right attention to soil preparation and maintenance, these compact trees can produce harvests for years to come, making them a perfect choice for gardeners in the Scottish climate.

Growing raspberries in Scotland can be incredibly rewarding, given the right care and conditions. Following the steps from soil preparation and planting to pruning and care, you can enjoy a plentiful harvest of these delicious fruits right from your garden.

Katrina & Clayton

Katrina & Clayton live with their family in East Ayrshire in Scotland and share their daily life in the garden on instagram @buildingfoodforest_scotland. They practice permaculture principles, reducing & repurposing waste whenever they can. Katrina shows how home educating in nature has helped Clayton thrive.

Clayton Completed The Grow and Learn Course with the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society in 2022. This year he will be completing Level 2 Nurture Course. Clayton is 16, Autistic, Non Verbal & has been Home Educated for the last 6yrs. Both Katrina and husband Peter have studied the Permaculture Design Course PDC and PDC Pro over the last 5yrs, developing their garden from grass to an ongoing food forest.

They have featured on BBC Beechgrove Gardens, Gardeners World Magazine and write for Scotland Grows Magazine.  Katrina has a series of children’s story books out following the life of Clayton in the garden. Available at Amazon.

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