- 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
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Keen gardener Paul Barnett always has plenty to show for the fruit of his labours.
He has grafted 250 different varieties of apple onto the same tree in his back garden over the past 20 years.
The 20ft high 'family tree' is jam-packed with apples of all different shapes, colours and sizes, including cooking apples Withington Fillbasket which originated in 1883 and Eadys' Magnum in 1908.
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
Paul, 40, from Chidham, West Sussex, has been nurturing the tree since 1989 after working at a nursery which had 90 different varieties of apple trees in rows.
Varieties: Planks of wood hold up some of the branches because of the weight of the fruit on the tree
He didn't have the room in his own garden for all the different types, so he started a 'family tree' where he could grow them all, adding to it each year by budding in the summer and grafting in the winter.
He said: 'I label them with eight-inch wooden sticks next to each variety to remind me what they are but I can normally tell by their position and colour.
'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'
Some of the branches are propped up with planks of wood due to the sheer weight of the fruit.
Paul will gather his unique collection of apples in two to three weeks when they are at their juiciest to show at horticultural fairs.
He said: 'My favourite eating apple is Winter Gem as it has a really nice flavour. It's crunchy, crisp and sweet.'
Paul adds to his collection either by buying them in from the home of the National Fruit Collection in Kent or swapping them with other apple enthusiasts.
There are around 6,000 different kinds of apples worldwide.
Paul, who also acts as an apple identification service, added: '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.
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
"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.'
Paul added: 'My family have always been into horticultural, so it's in my genes. My parents help me pick and tend to my garden.
'But my great-grandfather was particularly good with fruits so I have always grown up with people passionate about gardening.'
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