> Another good point is that a quince will tolerate most soils, acid or alkaline. It's happiest on a deep, rich loam that stays moist and if I had a pond or stream I'd put one next to it, so long as it didn't become waterlogged. Light soils should have plenty of compost added before planting and a thick organic mulch applied every year. In a very dry summer, you should give it a very thorough soaking.

I don't have any choice there, having heavy clay soil that gets wet in winter and dry in summer, but I do give it plenty of water if there's a very dry spell at the time when the baby fruits should be starting to swell.

> How old is the tree? The RHS site says "Quinces are self-fertile and usually start cropping when five- or six-years-old."

I planted it in April 2011, so it should be mature enough. It started producing some fruit several years ago, but never very much.

My thinking is along the lines that I've tried everything but wassailing it, so I should give that a try, but I want to get it right.