If you're thinking about growing apples, now is the time to test different kinds and talk with local growers. This advice comes from gardening writer Lee Reich. His books include The Pruning（修剪）Book and Weedless Gardening. Reich grows an apple called Hudson's Golden Gem, and he does so for one reason-the taste. He says the fruit's wonderful taste makes it truly special.
When you buy apples at the store, your choice is limited to the 12 or more kinds available for sale. Gardeners, however, have more choices. They can plant any of more than 5,000different kinds of apples.
Gardeners can also harvest their apples just as each kind reaches its moment of perfection.Reich says his Macoun apples taste much better than any Macoun apples found in stores. One reason is that his can be left to ripen until they nearly fall off the tree.
Here are some other flavorful apples to plant. The Ashmead's Kernel apple was first grown more than 200 years ago in a garden belonging to Dr. Ashmead in Gloucester,England.The apple has a reddish, golden brown color. Inside, it has tasty, sharp flesh. Cox's Orange Pippin is another old apple from England. It was first grown by Richard Cox in 1825. This apple's orange and red color makes it unpopular in the American market. But it is loved for its strong taste. Ellison's Orange is another British apple that came from Lincolnshire in 1911. It is a late summer or early autumn apple, golden yellow with stripes,with juicy flesh.
Before you run out to buy trees to grow the kinds you love to eat, Reich does have a warning: Apples are not easy to grow in many parts of the country. The plants require yearly pruning and insect control. But if you're willing to learn how to keep the unwanted insects away,a few kinds of trees chosen for their taste will give you years of good eating.
