An apple a day keeps the doctor away
American proverb, originated in the 1900s
There are over 7500 cultivars of the ‘eating apples’ (Malus pumila) known (plus the so called ‘ornamental’ sorts). Some are extremely important economically as commercial products, but the majority (‘heritage sorts’) are not suitable for mass production. Apples are also used to produce juice and cider.
Apple trees can grow in a wide range of soils from medium textured clays to gravelly sands, but the best conditions for them are fertile sandy soils and loams.
The biggest increase in apple harvesting happened in China, followed by Poland, which took the third place from Germany, India and Chile.
