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Apple trees

Gala

  • Gala
  • Gala

One of the most popular supermarket apple varieties, and a good mid-season variety for the garden in many areas. The sweet flavour of ripe Gala apples eaten straight from the tree is quite a surprise compared to supermarket examples.

Gala is also a good variety for juicing, as you might expect the flavor is rich and sweet, useful for mixing with other sharper varieties.

Because of the commercial importance of Gala a large number of Gala "sports" exist. These are naturally occuring mutations, and are mostly indistinguishable from the original in terms of flavor but may have a deeper coloration or more pronounced flush to the skin.

Reserve now for delivery w/c 3rd September onwards

Gala apple trees for sale

Mature height*Supplied asPrice**
inc. delivery
Quantity
required

Pot-grown fruit trees (delivery Sept 2012 - April 2013)

Small (1.8m - 2.5m)1-year -3L pot - M9 rootstock £30.00
Large (3m - 4m)1-year -3L pot - MM106 rootstock £30.00
Large (3m - 4m)2-year bush-tree -12L pot - MM106 rootstock £38.00

Trained fruit trees - bare-root (delivery any week Nov 2012 - Feb 2013)

Small (1.8m - 2.5m)2-year Cordon -Bare-root - M9 rootstock
Gala Mondial
£33.00

**All prices include delivery. We offer a discount on orders of multiple bare-root trees for delivery at the same time - this will be shown at the checkout.

Delivery period: Pot-grown trees can be delivered from September onwards. Bare-root trees can be delivered from mid-November onwards. Within those periods you can specify your preferred month of delivery during the checkout process. It is best to order as soon as you can to ensure items are reserved for you.

*Mature heights: Height shown is the approximate height of the tree when mature (after 5-10 years), not the height when supplied. See photos of trees as supplied. Actual mature heights may vary considerably dependent on your local conditions and training and pruning regime.

Stock availability: Items showing as 'sold out' will probably be available again next season. If you would like to reserve in advance use our enquiry form - this does not commit you to anything.



Growing

  • Overall disease resistance: Poor
    Very susceptible to scab
  • Cropping: Good
  • Fertility: Partially self-fertile
  • Flowering group: 4
  • Ploidy: Diploid
  • Pollinating others: Average
  • Bearing regularity: Regular
  • Fruit bearing: Spur-bearer
  • Gardening skill: Average
  • Vigour: Large
  • Fruit persistence: Normal ripening
  • Bacterial canker: Some susceptibility
  • Scab: Very susceptible
  • Mildew: Some susceptibility
  • Fireblight: Some susceptibility
  • Woolly aphid: Some susceptibility
  • Cedar apple rust: Some susceptibility

Uses

  • Flavour quality: Average
  • Flavour style: Sweeter
  • Good for eating fresh
  • Good for juice
    Gala produces a very sweet juice
  • Picking season: Late
  • Use / keeping: 3 months or more
    Flavour fades in storage but remains sweet

Identification

  • Fruit colour: Orange / Red
  • Blossom colour: Pink - light
  • Leaf colour: Green
  • Country of origin: New Zealand
  • Period of origin: 1900 - 1949
  • RHS AGM

Climate


Pollination guide for Gala apple trees

Gala is partially self-fertile, but fruiting will be improved if there is a compatible tree of a different variety nearby.

Our online pollination checker lists suitable pollination partners for this variety.

More advice about pollination.


How to grow Gala apple trees

Gala is widely grown on a commercial basis in South Africa, Chile, New Zealand, and France. One of its unique characteristics is that Gala will produce good-quality apples across an unusually wide range of climates from cool temperate to hot.

Gala can be grown successfully in the south, central, and east of the UK, and crops well.

Gala appears to be susceptible to just about every problem known to affect apples, but don't let this put you off. In practice, provided you have a dry climate, it is not too difficult to grow - and the flavour of home-grown ripe Gala apples us worth a bit of effort.

Most sports of Gala have some degree of self-fertility - but will set much better crops if there is a nearby pollination partner.

Planting instructions.

Pruning instructions.


Historical details

Developed by New Zealand apple enthusiast J.H. Kidd from one of his earlier successes, Kidd's Orange Red crossed with Golden Delicious. Through this parentage Gala unites three of the world's most influential apple varieties, Cox's Orange Pippin, Delicious, and Golden Delicious.

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