Keepers Nursery, my favourite apples, a comparison of the best apple varieties available to buy

[@petekooshian5595]

This is my favorite genre of youtube content. If I lived in the UK I'd totally drop by and visit!

[@keepersnurserykarim]

Cheers mate, I'm glad you liked the genre, are you an apple enthusiast?

[@petekooshian5595]

@@keepersnurserykarim I absolutely am! I don't have much space for trees of my own yet (although I'm growing out some seedlings in pots this year) but I do find wild ones all the time which is fun! Most of my Instagram is foraging content, but I do write and post about stuff I do with apples occasionally :)

[@keepersnurserykarim]

@@petekooshian5595 what seedlings? What types of apples are you trying to create?

[@petekooshian5595]

@@keepersnurserykarim There's an abandoned tree that I really love the apples from at a local pediatrician office (I have permission to pick as many as I want) and the flavor is really good to me so I'm growing out seeds from that mostly for fun. It looks like a rootstock of a decorative crab that's taken over (the rest of the trees in that row are all decorative landscape crabs) so I have no idea what kind it is 🤷 should I send you some pictures on Instagram?

[@kelliott7864]

The framing, angle, and lighting of this video are amazing, and I rarely notice those sorts of details.

[@keepersnurserykarim]

Thanks

[@grantmclachlan1]

Enjoyed this, thanks for taking the time to make this. What about a video on the best apples to grow regionally in the UK.

[@keepersnurserykarim]

Tricky for me to do as I only really know theoretically what to grow across the UK. First hand I have no experience of growing anywhere else. Generally it's best to avoid varieties prone to fungal disease if you live somewhere wet, and it's not worth growing late season varieties in colder regions where the growing season is shorter.

[@nenkobaylov2470]

Well done, I too have recently become an apple lover and before that I planted peaches in my garden. Now I'm looking at peaches, pears and apples.😍😉

[@keepersnurserykarim]

apples are quite versatile and will be the easiest to grow

[@nenkobaylov2470]

@@keepersnurserykarim Yes, that's why I settled on them. I live in Bulgaria near the city of Plovdiv, the climate here has been a little capricious in recent years for peach trees (Early frosts right during the flowering of peaches). I have a small hobby garden, there are several varieties of apples - Fuji, Merloose, Gala, Florina, Discovery, Pink Lady, Winter Gem.

[@nenkobaylov2470]

They are young and have not yet borne fruit.

[@keepersnurserykarim]

@@nenkobaylov2470 good luck with the fruit trees. I appreciate the climate may suit totally different varieties than what I grow here and my advice would be to see what others grow locally and copy them.

[@nenkobaylov2470]

@@keepersnurserykarim You are right, varieties Merlouse Florina, Gala, Pink Lady, with us give very high quality, the other apple varieties listed by me out of enthusiasm and curiosity, time will tell if it was worth it.

[@keepersnurserykarim]

I have just added chapters to this video so you can now navigate easily to any varieties that you are interested in, a full list is available on the description section.

[@michaellawler3016]

Great video I love how you explained all the apples, I have 60 varieties and will be planting more, apples are very addictive and once you got the bug it’s hard to stop. I’m in Ireland and would love to visit sometime

[@keepersnurserykarim]

Sounds like an impressive collection, what do you do with all the fruit? What are your favourites?

[@RobertThomson-o5g]

When do you think you will be supplying Rootstocks again??? I purchased a few from you, Over the years!!! Then Brexit happened.......I live in Fife, central Scotland.......

[@DarrenPoole-x1f]

Thank so much Karim for this extremely helpful and informative video. Superb analysis of the qualities and characteristics of the apples CHOSEN. Thank for giving prior thought to the varieties. I had four of you choices already but have now ordered seven more varieties from Keepers Nursery thanks to your video, which I have re-watched about a dozen times. Thank so much, DJP

[@keepersnurserykarim]

Thanks, I always enjoy seeing orders containing my favourite apples

[@duck4720]

Great video - I’ve put in many of these in my backyard in Australia and look forward to tasting for the first time over the next few years

[@keepersnurserykarim]

Glad you found inspiration. Good luck with the crop in the next few years

[@croyde001]

Really enjoyed your review Karim. Thanks

[@keepersnurserykarim]

Thanks, I hope it made sense 👍

[@m.goodengumman3941]

Can you give your views on Fuji apples, pros and cons of growing them in uk please? I think they are my favourite tasting lately. Thanks 👍🏼

[@keepersnurserykarim]

Fuji takes a long time to ripen, I have to wait until December to pick them, I like the apples, they are sweet and juicy and often one of the only fresh tasting apples towards the end of December. The downside is that if there is a sudden cold spell like we had last December you could lose your crop suddenly, but this is unlikely.

[@m.goodengumman3941]

@@keepersnurserykarim thanks for the reply. Good program about apple's, keep it up 👍🏼💫🍎🍎🍎

[@ejp8623]

Great video! I've got claygate pearmain and pitmaston pineapple growing so good to hear your review! Are you planning on doing the open day at the orchard this year? Was great in 2022

[@keepersnurserykarim]

Hi, we're going to tweak the open day format, it's too much for me to host one big day as it's really just me on my own these days, so instead I may do several smaller events over the season, I'll put updates on our website.

[@wickie2222]

Great Infor here, If I might add Bakers Delicious as a Very good Early apple for folks to try.

[@keepersnurserykarim]

A perfectly ripe bakers delicious is a rewarding find for me every summer.

[@wickie2222]

@@keepersnurserykarim Would you think about Growing and selling them. My tree has had 3 or 4 crops now and its eagerly anticipated I can tell you. in 2022 which was a very good year for apples on one occasion I found myself thinking Jaysus this is better than my Coxs Orange Pippen!!

[@tommymattsson9636]

Great video mate but you need better audio maybe enjoyed it learned a lot found your channel from Sweden keep the videos coming please

[@keepersnurserykarim]

thanks for the feedback, I'm only using my phone and I've not really got any time to post edit, they'll improve in time if I take it more seriously.

[@katiepuckett573]

Do you grow Colvis Spice apple? It's my newest favorite.

[@keepersnurserykarim]

No. What is it? We have D'Arcy spice

[@arkaniflamme9455]

Elstar is the most commercially grown variety in Germany, by far (24 %; 2. Gala, 10 %).

[@keepersnurserykarim]

I didn't know that, it's an excellent apple

[@Hristo-]

It's interesting for me that you never mention anis flavour when tasting varieties. For example here Freyberg has very pronounced anis flavour. Ellison's Orange too, but not as strong, but it ripens early to mid August. Keep up the good work!

[@keepersnurserykarim]

I'm going to attempt to be more descriptive. Whilst it is very informative for the viewer, I'm new to making videos and it's tricky to come up with flavours whilst filming a video. Where do you live? I'm interested to know where freyberg is popular.

[@Hristo-]

I live in Bulgaria, but it's hardly known here. I collect varieties with unusual flavours, that is why I have it.@@keepersnurserykarim

[@keepersnurserykarim]

It's very good choice in my opinion

[@jakklump]

You waste an enormous amount of viewers time; write a script, practice and edit. We're not here to listen to you, we're wanting to learn about apples.

[@keepersnurserykarim]

Of course If I had more time I would make the videos better but my videos are what they are, others have appreciated that it's an unedited honest insight into what I do and think about the subjects. I think producing high quality videos takes a lot of planning, practice, talent and editing and possibly extra people and equipment to film, things I can't afford to do for now.