This well-known and popular variety arose from a cross between ‘Kidds Orange Red’ and ‘Golden Delicious’ and is the most widely planted commercial apple variety in the world. It has been planted in New Zealand, south Africa, North and South America and across Europe making this reliable variety a staple of the supermarket shelves.
So, with such easy availability – why contemplate growing your own? The answer (as is often the case) is in the flavour. While the popular Gala apple stores beautifully (one of the reasons it is so popular with supermarkets) the sweetly perfumed flavour fades with storage. Home grown Gala apples taste far better than their stored cousins from the supermarkets and will often be substantially larger too. For the best results eat them straight from the tree, or within a week or so of picking.
Gala Apple Trees produce a mid-season crop that is ready in Early October. While the trees are partially self-fertile they will bear much heavier crops with a suitable pollination partner that is in the same or an adjacent group. Gala Apple Trees are in group 4 so any other variety in groups 3, 4 or 5 would be suitable. These would include Bramley, Cox, Discovery, James Grieve or Golden Delicious.
Gala Apple trees are easy to grow in most soils that do not become waterlogged, young trees will establish and develop more quickly if a small circle around the base 50-100cm across is kept completely clear of weeds, ideally with a mulch of bark chippings or similar to conserve moisture. We also recommend adding rootgrow when planting for faster root establishment.
Our Gala Apple trees are vigorous growing tree with very pretty blossom in late Spring and is grown on the semi dwarfing rootstock MM106 which will reach a mature height of approximately 10 to 12 feet.
