Should I plant a plum or a pear tree?

[ilikeyoursleeves]

I am a complete garden novice and so is DH. We have a lovely mature garden (planted by previous owners) and already have an apple tree. We get a good crop every year so we'd like to plant another fruit tree. I don't know what type or when / how to plant it though?

I'd be grateful for any advice, thanks.

Plum. Or Both.

Only room for one!

Definitely plum then!

Plums attract wasps.

I'd say plum too, but eek to the wasps.

pears are notoriously difficult to catch when perfectly ripe, and don't ripen well indoors either

i'd plant a plum tree if it were me, the fruit are more versatile as in cooking and preserving IMO

I'm seriously in love with pear trees too.

Anyone know when it's best to plant a plum tree then?

each peach pear plum

do it now, while the ground is still warmish.

plenty of manure, well dug in and has to be kept well weeded

needs plenty of good sun too, no less than 1/3 shade really as they are susceptible to disease otherwise

I think all fruit trees are the same, right now is great timing.

well, if you love plums plant a plum tree, and if you love pears, plant a pear tree!!! we have both but not much fruit yet as still very young trees... good luck!

Pears attract wasps too!

I'd say go for the plum tree as pears can be difficult regarding ripening. With pears you need to follow strict instructions for ripening and these differ from cultivar to cultivar. Some like Williams will ripen on the tree, others like Buerre Hardy need a couple of weeks cold storage after picking in order to ripen. When you get them right they are delicious though.

Regarding planting, if you are buying bare root trees from somewhere like blackmoor nurseries (google it) then you'll be planting them in the winter (so the tree is dormant) between Dec-Feb depending on the weather conditions. If you buy a potted tree then I think you can pretty much plant whenever, but winter would be best.

Plums are great but are prone to silver leaf disease. To avoid this you must make sure that you only prune them when the sap is rising ie when the buds start to swell in spring up untill June. Never prune after 1st July. Also if there is a very large crop you need to thin them out in case the weight snaps a branch and allows disease to enter