Monty Don: Quince among men | From the Observer | guardian.co.uk:
Growing quinces successfully depends upon rich, wet soil, although Jane Grigson says they do well in 'the driest of upland fields and the hottest of small village gardens' in France. Certainly they need sunshine, but don't gamble on the dry-upland bit. If you have a wet patch of ground they will reward you for it. Order or buy a quince now (it is worth shopping around the net and nurseries for the variety you want) and plant it between now and March. Plant it like any other fruit tree - with care but not reverence, digging a wide, but not too deep hole, loosening the subsoil and adding no organic material below the roots but plenty as a mulch on the surface in a 1m-radius around the tree. It will need staking for its first three years but no special care or pruning again in its life other than keeping it weed-free.
Growing quinces successfully depends upon rich, wet soil, although Jane Grigson says they do well in 'the driest of upland fields and the hottest of small village gardens' in France. Certainly they need sunshine, but don't gamble on the dry-upland bit. If you have a wet patch of ground they will reward you for it. Order or buy a quince now (it is worth shopping around the net and nurseries for the variety you want) and plant it between now and March. Plant it like any other fruit tree - with care but not reverence, digging a wide, but not too deep hole, loosening the subsoil and adding no organic material below the roots but plenty as a mulch on the surface in a 1m-radius around the tree. It will need staking for its first three years but no special care or pruning again in its life other than keeping it weed-free.
