Heritage apple and pear trees now available to the public

Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing, although not in the business of selling trees, has arranged with nurserymen at SAPO Trust, to make ancient apple and pear trees planted in the Tru-Cape Heritage Orchard on Oak Valley Estate, Grabouw, available to the public.

Kroonappel

Winter Pearmain

Wemmershoek

Tru-Cape Managing Director, Roelf Pienaar says that, as a result of the company’s work in preserving the genetic material of apple and pear varieties no longer in production, and their recent event on top of Table Mountain to visit what is possibly the oldest living apple tree, there has been a spike in interest from the public in purchasing trees.

“Ever since Buks Nel, Tru-Cape’s new variety expert who, together with our quality assurance manager, Henk Griessel, spearheaded the development of the Heritage Orchard and book, Apples in the Early Days at The Cape, told radio listeners they could purchase these almost forgotten varieties for their own gardens, we have been fielding enquiries,” Pienaar says.

According to Pienaar, people wanting to purchase these trees can, for a very limited time, do so from the South African Plant Improvement Organisation (SAPO).

SAPO Trust’s Frederik Voigt says they have single-digit numbers of most trees but about 20 Wemmershoek apple and pear trees, originally found near Franschhoek in the area now covered by the waters of the Wemmershoek Dam.

People are able to purchase the Kroonappel, the tree Tru-Cape’s Nel believes is the most similar to the tree found on top of Table Mountain, the Newton for gravity lovers, as well as The York Imperial and Winter Pearmain.