It is an unfortunate truism with pear varieties that the better the flavour the more demanding they seem to be to grow. However Beth is an exception to this principle. It is an excellent early-season pear, ideal for temperate climates, easy to grow and with a really excellent melting flavour.
Horticultural characteristics of Beth pear trees
The key horticultural characteristics of Beth are its relatively weak growth and small fruit size, yet heavy cropping potential. Fruit size can be improved by thinning the fruitlets in late May - the combination of heavy cropping yet weak vigour means 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.
Beth tends to grow quite upright (like most pears) so early training is important.
The picking season is fairly short (starting at the end of August in the southern UK) so it is important to keep a close eye on the crop at this stage as the fruit can go from under-ripe to over-ripe quite quickly.
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.