Beth is an excellent early-season pear, very well suited to the UK climate. It grows in a neat and compact fashion (although quite upright like most pears), and cropping is very good in most situations.
It has a particularly good flavour, with the characteristic melting texture usually associated with the French pear varieties.
In short Beth is the ideal pear for the allotment or back garden.
All pot-grown trees are suitable for planting out in the garden, some are suitable for growing in containers.
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Order now for delivery from week commencing 25th November for pot grown trees or December for bare-root or mixed tree orders.
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Beth is one of the easiest pears to grow, and along with Invincible and Conference is a good choice if you have less than perfect conditions.
Beth is a low-vigour variety, yet with a heavy cropping potential. This combination can lead to small fruit size, but this is readily addressed by thinning the fruitlets in late May - thinning is a particularly effective technique with Beth.
Beth comes into bearing quite young by the standards of most pears, you are likely to get some fruit within 2-3 years. However, be wary of letting it fruit too heavily too early, as this can slow further growth of the tree.
The picking season is starts at the end of August in the southern UK, a bit later further north. Beth is one of the few pear varieties that you can eat straight off the tree - most should be picked when still hard and ripened indoors.
Beth is self-sterile so needs a pollination partner, but will be pollinated by a large number of other pear varieties.
Pears are generally more tolerant than apples to wet soils, but much less tolerant of drought conditions. Like all pears, Beth benefits from watering during the spring, as soon as the blossom starts to appear - if there is insufficient rain then apply 4-5 litres of water per day.
Beth was developed at the East Malling Research Station in the UK in the 1930s by Henry Tydeman (who also developed many apple varieties including Tydeman's Late Orange). Beth is a cross between Beurre Superfin and Williams' Bon Chretien.
Unlike many garden centres and online retailers, the vast majority of our fruit trees are grown in the UK. Find out more.
In addition, all our trees are certified under the Plant Healthy scheme, supervised by the Plant Health Alliance.
Other stakeholders include Defra and the RHS. The scheme aims to improve UK biosecurity by setting standards
for all growers and retailers involved in selling plants in the UK.
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When you buy your fruit tree from Orange Pippin Fruit Trees we guarantee it for the first season in your garden whilst it gets established. If it doesn't grow successfully, we'll either replace it the following season or offer a refund - subject to some conditions. Find out more.
This variety description was researched and written by Orange Pippin staff. Last checked: 2024.