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Growing fruit trees is a rewarding way to enjoy the real fruits of your gardening labor. The investment of time and money is minimal compared to the bounteous end result. Although you will have to wait about two to five years before you will begin to have a abundant fruit crop, early preparations are essential to being successful and are well worth the effort.
PLANTING
Fruit trees need to be planted in the fall or early spring and you will need to plan to plant your trees in an area that will receive a lot of sun, preferably on the north and south side of your property. Decide if you have the room for full sized fruit trees or if dwarf varieties are a better option for your needs.
PRUNING AND THINNING
Pruning a fruit tree is done for several reasons. One reason being to shape the tree. The form of the tree could determine how strong the branches would be in harsh weather. The second reason that pruning and thinning is recommended is to increase the abundance of your fruit harvest and allow your fruit to be larger as well. You will need to prune your trees after they are 2-3 years old.
You will want to thin your tree when the small fruits reach 1/2 to 1 inch in diameter. Allow about 8 inches in-between fruits to encourage steady production each year.
POLLINATING FRUIT TREES
Several fruit trees will require pollen from a different compatible variety. This is called cross-pollination. If pollination is not required it is referred to as self-pollinating or semi-self-fruitful. The following guide can help you in determining each fruit tree's needs.
APPLES
Most apple trees are self-pollinating but their yields can increase with cross-pollination. Dwarf varieties of apples still grow an amazing 6 to 8 feet and come in a wide variety of colors, flavors and ripening times. You can expect to receive 1-3 bushels of apples per tree and could be ripe as early as late summer through autumn depending on the climate of your area. Your apple trees will need to be sprayed more than your other fruit trees so you may want to have them located away from a children's playground or your vegetable garden. If you are living in an area that receives heavy rainfall be watchful that your trees to not get "scab". There are many varieties of apple trees that will resist scab, look for Dayton, Freedom and Enterprise apples, Goldrush, Janafree, Liberty, Redfree, Williams Pride or ask your local nursery for a list of other varieties.
CHERRY TREES
Cherry trees are considered a medium to large tree, but the branches grow mostly up instead of out, so are ideal for smaller yards. Dwarf varieties are much smaller and self-fertile so one tree is enough to plant. Sweet Cherry varieties generally yield about 30 quarts of fruit and are ripe in early Summer for most growing zones. Sweet Cherries need cross-pollinating while Sour Cherries and Dwarf Sweet Cherries do not.
PEACHES
Peach trees can be a little more time consuming to get the tree established and producing fruit abundantly. Most peach trees are self-pollinating. You will need to watch your trees for "Bores" that can kill your tree within a season. You will need to mulch and fertilize your tree and it can produce about 3-5 bushels of fruit in mid to late Summer. If you want to have several peach trees, I would suggest growing a variety of peaches so that they will ripen through different weeks. This will allow you time to preserve the fruit or enjoy sharing the peaches all Summer long.
PEARS
Dwarfing rootstock trees can reach 8 to 10 feet tall and will require two or more compatible varieties for pollination. However, if you have a neighbor with a compatible Pear tree they could pollinate each other up to several miles away. Pears will yield 3-4 bushels of fruit per tree and be ripe late Summer through Autumn.
PLUM TREES
Plum trees are available in a self-fertile variety. Some varieties will need to be cross-pollinated by a tree from a hybrid group. They will yield 2-3 bushels of fruit in mid- to late summer.
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