250 varieties of apple on one tree... thanks to a bit of hard grafting over the years



Paul Barnett has been growing his 'family tree' for over 20 years

It is jam-packed with apples of all shapes, colours and sizes including rare cooking apples dating back to 1883




From Granny Smith and Golden Delicious to Brownlees Russet and Wadhurst Pippin, if you like apples then Paul Barnett is your man.

He has 250 varieties available to pick – and astonishingly, they’re all growing on just one tree.

The horticulturist has spent 24 years meticulously developing the tree in his back garden in Chidham, near Chichester, West Sussex, grafting on new varieties every winter.

Apple turnover: Paul Barnett in the apple tree in his garden in Chidham, near Chichester, West Sussex, on which two hundred and fifty different apple varieties grow

Laden: Paul has grafted 250 varieties on the 'family tree' over the past two decades

Fruitful: There are 6,000 apple varieties worldwide and over 2,000 different types kept at the National Fruit Collection in Kent

The tree’s fruits now include rare cooking apples such as the Withington Fillbasket, which originated in 1883, and Eady’s Magnum, from 1908, as well as more recognisable favourites.

Mr Barnett, 40, said yesterday: ‘I started working at a nursery with acres of land and around 90 varieties of apple trees in rows.

‘I wanted to grow my own trees but I didn’t have the area to plant that number so I started a “family tree” where I can have all the different varieties in a smaller amount of space. I add to it each year by budding in the summer and grafting in the winter.’

For budding, a bud is cut from another apple tree and inserted into the bark of Mr Barnett’s tree, while grafting involves the same process but usually with a small branch carrying more than one bud.

Over time the buds and branches grow to become part of the main tree and eventually produce even more varieties of apple.

Mr Barnett added: ‘The tree has cooking, eating and cider apples on it but I normally only get a few of each variety of apple each year. It’s great to see all the different colours and sized apples on the tree this time of year.’

He has had to prop up some of the branches with planks because of the sheer weight of the fruit growing on the tree, which stands some 20ft high. He will gather his unique harvest next month, when they are at their juiciest, and show them at horticultural fairs.



Core structure: Paul has been grafting different kinds of apple onto the one tree, shown here, since 1989

Mr Barnett said: ‘My favourite eating apple is Winter Gem because it has a really nice flavour. It’s crunchy, crisp and sweet.’ He said that he adds to his collection either by buying fruit from the home of the National Fruit Collection in Kent – which has about 2,200 of the 6,000 known varieties – or swapping them with other apple enthusiasts.

He said: ‘It’s really important for people to know what kind of apples they are growing, to know when they should be picking, eating and storing them.

‘There have been some varieties which have been lost over time. I don’t want to see any disappear. You don’t know what will happen in the future with global warming or pesticides.

‘You may need to crossbreed apples with older varieties to make them resistant to such things.

‘That’s why every type of apple is worth preserving.’

Fruit of his labours: Paul Barnett adds to his collection either by buying them in from the home of the National Fruit Collection or swapping them with other enthusiasts

Mr Barnett also has nine smaller family trees growing plums, pears, cherries and apples.

He said: ‘My family have always been into horticulture, so it’s in my genes. My parents help me pick and tend to my garden.

‘My great-grandfather was particularly good with fruits so I have always grown up with people passionate about gardening.’

Last week it was predicted that this autumn’s harvest of apples will be one of the biggest and best tasting ever. British apples are some of the sweetest and most colourful for years, according to Richard Capper, of Stocks Farm in Suckley, Worcestershire.

‘The good weather and summer heat has upped the sugar levels in the fruit,’ said Mr Capper, who expects to gather in almost 2,000 tons of the fruit from his orchards.