Apple picking season is in full swing and, thanks to excellent growing conditions in 2025, trees in private gardens and community orchards across the UK are yielding bumper crops this autumn, according to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS).
On 1 September, the RHS reopened its fruit identification service, which allows members to send in apples, pears and other fruit to be identified by its team of experts.
More than 500 mystery apples have been submitted this month alone – a noticeable increase on previous years, according to the organisation.
While some samples have so far proved unidentifiable and will undergo DNA fingerprinting, many fascinating and more unusual varieties have already been named.
Among them are 'Lemon Pippin', a dual-purpose apple variety dating back to at least 1744; 'Sops in Wine', an variety with pink-tinged flesh; 'Oaken Pin', a rare dessert apple native to Exmoor; and 'Golden Bittersweet', a historic cider apple variety.
Also identified were two apples from old Scottish trees: 'Devonshire Quarrenden', from the 1600s, and 'Duchess of Oldenburg' of Russian origin, dating back to the early 1700s.
Beyond apples, the RHS reports a rise in pears submitted for identification too, including the rare ‘Alexandre Lambre’, a remnant of a lost London market garden, the organisation says.
But the service isn't just about solving fruit mysteries. The RHS hopes that by helping people identify what they're growing, it will encourage stronger connections with nature.
“Most people with apple trees don’t know which cultivars they are growing. Identification encourages care for existing trees and helps preserve rare heritage varieties,” says Jim Arbury, the RHS’s leading fruit expert responsible for identifying the varieties.
“Once people know what they have, they are more likely to want to nurture these trees, many of which may prove resilient and valuable in our changing climate.”
Have a mystery apple tree in your garden or orchard? Details on how to submit a sample can be found on the RHS website.
Everything you need to start growing fruit and vegetables at home
Investing in an informative guide book to tell you what to do and when is a brilliant idea to consistently grow the best produce you can.
To get growing you will, of course, need a range of seeds. You can find them at garden centres, but also online like these ones from Crocus. Some easy-to-grow starter ideas include potatoes, tomatoes, radishes, peas, onions, garlic, salad leaves, broad beans, runner beans and beetroot.
See vegetable collection here
See fruit collection here
If you're planting in the garden, a hand fork will come in handy for breaking up soil and dislodging stones, before you remove it with the trowel to create your perfect planting spot.
This all purpose compost is for use on your vegetables, fruit and flowers. Made up of GroChar, coir fibre and a blend of vegetable based nutrients.
If you're planting in an allotment or on a plot in your garden, support canes are ideal to help particular fruits and vegetables grow, like tomatoes, cucumbers and broad beans. They can also be used to help reinforce pea and bean netting, garden netting, tree guards and tree shelters, too.
Some types of garden netting is notoriously bad for entangling small animals but this variety is so fine that mammals can't get through it. It's tough and durable and protects edible crops from wildlife, winds, light frost and pests including carrot fly and caterpillars. Simply lay the mesh over your crop and secure it with pegs or stones for short-term use. For longer periods, secure with cloche hoops.
Know exactly what you're growing where with this stylish slate and chalk plant label set.
Keep your hands clean and protected with some stylish gardening gloves – although sowing seeds can be delicate and fiddly work so might just require your bare fingertips.
All plants need water to thrive, so a trusty watering can will always come in handy. We love this chic galvanised steel option.
With a purpose-built fitted membrane that ensures proper ventilation and drainage, this planter will give any seedlings their best chance at successful growth.
This stylish rustic galvanised steel windowsill planter is perfect potting Chantenay carrots, beetroot and strawberries.
Make sure your greenhouse, potting shed or kitchen sills are kept organised with a lovely tray to store your seeds in. You can grow seeds in the tray before planting in the garden. Or use the tray to transport freshly-picked vegetables into the kitchen. It's made from sustainable spruce, too.
If you don't have a garden or veg plot, there are plenty of fruit and veg options that you can grow in pots. Try Swiss chard, tomatoes, radish, lettuce, chillies and small carrots.
Wanda Sachs is the Multiplatform Writer for Country Living and House Beautiful, exploring the latest in gardening, wildlife and sustainable living alongside interiors and property. She is particularly interested in human-interest stories, the intersection of design and pop culture, and the evolving relationship between urban and rural life. Previously, she served as Associate Editor at The Berliner in Berlin, where she reported on culture and fashion. Wanda studied English and German at the Goethe University Frankfurt and Exeter University.
