Apple trees in the garden - advice/help

[jalepenowine]

We are renting and currently live city centre. No garden or driveway but everything is right on our doorstep, the kids schools in walking distance, shops, train station etc.

we viewed a house last night which is just out of the city, it would mean a change of lifestyle and driving kids to school etc but we’d have a driveway and big garden kids would have a playroom, we’d have a garage so we could get rid of our monthly expenses for our storage unit BUT….the garden has 3 apple trees in it. There were lots of apples over the grass yesterday but the house is empty so no one is there to maintain. I wondered if anyone has experience with apple trees and can tell me if it’s a huge problem for wasps in the summer etc? My kids are 2 and 6 and I’d love them to have a garden after never having one before but not if it’s a constant stress about being stung.

I know to many this is such a non issue but one child is allergic the other we don’t know about. I’m terrified of wasps myself and we also love where we live right now so the move has to be make sense to leave what we currently have. Sounds daft but this is the only thing playing on my mind. We need to make a decision by Monday.

Could you not cut the trees if it becomes your house?

Sorry should have said we’d still be renting

We have 5 apple trees and none of us has been stung by a wasp or a bee in the 25 years we've lived here.

If you don't pick up the apples, yes, you will attract wasps.
So pick them up each day and enjoy the free fruit.

If you collect them daily, many windfall apples are good enough to eat, cut away any bruised or bad parts.

I have 2 apple trees and do all sorts of things with them - apple chutney and open freeze then bag apple slices which keep us going all winter.

Then enjoy the beautiful blossom in summer.

None of us have been stung in the 20 years the trees have been there.

Well, the apples are all over the garden because no one has picked them up. And that will be from last autumn, they’re not ripe and falling off now. And yes, if left on the floor they will attract wasps (though other things influence how wasps there will be in any given year, weather for example, so sometimes there just aren’t many and other times there’s lots).
To avoid that happening, either pick the apples before they fall and use them for eating, cooking or juicing (or put them in a box outside for people to take). Or compost them. Have the trees pruned at the right time and they will produce less for the first season or so after that. I’ve got around twenty five apple, pear, cherry and plum trees, I never have a problem with fruit on the floor because I go out in the morning during the season each is ripening, and pick them or pick them up off the floor - I have to or the dog would eat the lot! I don’t have any issues with wasps either, no more than any other garden gets.

We have a large apple tree. No issue with wasps at all. We do pick the apples up when they fall and that’s a bit annoying but takes 10 mins a couple of times a week when it’s the season for it. None of us ever been stung. You could always get a tree person to cut them down if it bothers you.

We have 5 apple trees and 2 pears. We see the odd wasp, but it’s never been a problem.

This is all very reassuring. Thank you

Indeed, just pick them up as you go. We have six trees and regrettably there is a lot of waste. Few apples are perfect like the ones you can buy from the supermarket and there are only so many apple pies, apple Amber's, Eve's puddings, and other deserts you can eat. I've also never been able to keep them beyond about October, however I have tried to store them.

People don't want them and we can't even give them away. The best we manages was a wheelbarrow full to a cafe with an apple press.

We have an apple tree, we absolutely love it! We pick up any fallen apples and never had wasp issues, none of us have ever been stung. The kids love picking the apples when they are ripe and they are so so tasty.

We live in a city and are hopeless gardeners. We trim it back once a year and that seems to keep it as it should be. I wish we had 3!

It’s lovely having apple trees - free fruit and the blossom looks amazing too. It’s great for children learning about growing things. Seeing the blossom, watching it get pollinated, seeing the tiny apples develop.

We have several trees. I have been stung by a wasp but never in my own garden - actually at work in a different city!

Wasps would be attracted to very ripe fruit, especially if left on the ground to rot. If it’s picked up regularly (great job for kids!) then that removes that problem.

Well, the apples are all over the garden because no one has picked them up. And that will be from last autumn

Any apples that fell last autumn will be long gone.

If you are in the UK @jalepenowine apples on the ground just now will be from the 'June drop', a natural occurrence where the tree rids itself of fruits that aren't going to grow to full size. This leaves the remaining apples more resources and room to turn out to be Good Apples 🍎. If a tree is still laden with many apples just now you can remove some to give the others a better chance.

I have found wasps are more attracted to plums. I've not had a problem and have both apple and plum trees in the garden.

I did not know that about ‘June drop’!

Our apple and pear trees have spent June jettisoning their fruit. I thought it was because of the hot weather. I’m not sure that very many are left at all. I’m not bothered as most years we have more than we know what to do with. We leave them in buckets on our drive for people to take (mostly for horses).

Ok, this is all really interesting and reassuring. It kind of draws me to the house more now! Imagining the kids out picking the apples from the ground and so wholesome if you can make things and tell people it’s from fruit for your garden! I’ve never had that before.

im in the uk yes, and there were lots of little apples over the ground yesterday when we viewed so makes sense about the June drop. I’ll have to research the plants in the garden as I know absolutely nothing about gardening.

oh!!! Now I want to move! I think having a garden and a driveway will outweigh the cons of moving….. hmmm….

We have 3 apple trees and a pear tree in our garden. Never had any problems with wasps (no more than anyone who didn’t have fruit trees). There is an orchard behind us too and still we see few wasps. It’s worrying I think. Wasps are pollinators.