You used to need a lot of land to grow fruit trees. Most standard-sized fruit trees mature at a height and width of between 18-25 feet. Not only do trees of this size require a big chunk of your garden, they are too tall to prune and spray without a ladder. Dwarf and semi-dwarf fruit trees have made it possible to grow them in just about any yard.
Even with smaller trees, growing fruit is a long-term investment. It can take anywhere from two to 10 years for trees to begin bearing fruit. If you plan to be harvesting for years to come, it pays to plan before you plant.
How to Choose a Size? The terms dwarf and semi-dwarf can be a bit confusing. Dwarf fruit trees reach a height and width of about eight to 10 feet. (Pruning can keep them a bit smaller.) At their natural heights, they can be tended and harvested easily while standing on the ground. Unfortunately, dwarf fruit trees tend to be short-lived.
Semi-dwarf fruit trees are a little larger at maturity, with most topping at 12-16 feet tall and wide. Their size can make maintenance and harvesting a bit of a challenge, but the average harvest is eight to 12 bushels, about twice what you’d get on a dwarf tree.
There’s not much difference in the space required for the two types of trees, and both should start producing fruits within two to five years. The question you have to ask yourself is if you are willing to work a little harder from atop a ladder to reap a larger harvest or will you be content with a moderate harvest within an arm’s reach?
For those of you thinking that even eight to 10 feet is more space than you have or can sacrifice, don’t give up your dream of picking fruit from trees in your backyard. They can be grown in containers. The yield is not as heavy, but every bit as delicious!
Which Fruit Trees Need Pollinators? Most fruit trees produce better fruits if there are two or more trees planted in close proximity to each other. Anywhere in the landscape will do; just don’t put your house between the two trees.
Although the trees need to be the same type of fruit, they should not be the same variety. You can plant two different types of apples and as long as they bloom at the same time, they will cross-pollinate. Most fruit tree catalogs and plant labels will give you suggestions for good pollinators. We have several local charts at Watters that will help.
If you only want one fruit tree, your best options are peach, apricot, nectarine or sour cherry. These fruits are self-pollinating or self-fruitful, meaning they can pollinate themselves with help from local bees. One notable exception is a sweet Stella cherry that is also self-fruitful.
A small yard is a good place for a multi-grafted tree, where three or more varieties of apples have been grafted onto one trunk.
Deciduous fruit trees need a certain number of hours where the temperature is below 45 F. Without this chilling period during their dormancy, fruit set will be limited the following spring. Here at the garden center you’ll find a good selection of locally proven varieties.
Which Fruit Trees are Low Maintenance? All fruit trees require some care and feeding. Most require annual pruning. However, some can get by very well with minimal care once they’re established. At the top of the list of low maintenance trees are cherries. These require pruning only when branches are damaged or crossing.
Stone fruits like peaches, apricots and nectarines are not maintenance heavy. Some pruning is required to keep the trees open to light and usually need fruit thinning in early summer for a healthy harvest.
Apple and pear trees are the best mountain producers. A late frost, just as the fruit is forming, will thin the fruit set. Because apples and pears are the very last trees to blossom in spring, the likelihood of frost damaging their crops is reduced considerably. This one trait keeps them in the number one producer spot.
Pruning fruit trees is a huge topic unto itself and will vary with the type of tree. But starting with the right tree for your location and getting it off to a healthy start is a solid first step toward your first fruit harvest.
Plant Before They Leaf. Late winter and early spring is the ideal planting season for fruit trees. We have the best selection of local varieties now, and they wake up ready to set fruit and grow before they bloom. If you’re thinking fruit this spring, now is the time to plant.
Until next issue, I’ll see you at Watters Garden Center.
By Ken Lain
Ken Lain, the mountain gardner, can be found throughout the week at Watters Garden Center, 1815 W. Iron Springs Road in Prescott, or contacted through the website at WattersGardenCenter.com or FB.com/WattersGardenCenter .
Leave a Reply