Planning a Home Fruit Garden

Catalogs with their attractive pictures of brightly colored and mouth-watering fruit make the thought of a home fruit planting irresistible. No fruit tastes quite as good as that which we have grown ourselves. However, nothing can be quite as disappointing as fruit that has been improperly cared for, or comes from unhealthy trees. If you have never grown fruit trees before, start small. Plant only a few to get a feel for growing them, so you can better decide how many you have space and time for later.

Fruit trees need ample space and sunlight. Late spring frosts can be a problem in low lying areas. If the home is situated in a frost pocket, crops of early flowering fruits such as apricots, pears, plums and peaches may freeze in many years. Fruit trees are best planted on higher locations or slopes where the cold air settles downward and away from them.

Many fruit trees require cross pollination, so more than one tree of each type may be necessary. This is true with most apples, pears, plums and nut trees. Sour cherries, peaches and nectarines do not require more than one tree. Remember that planting two trees of the same variety does not fulfill the pollination requirement. Where necessary, different varieties of the same type of fruit must be planted. Nurserymen and nursery catalogs often provide information on varieties that will successfully pollinate each other.

Early fruit growers were not confronted by the multitude of pests that have now spread throughout the country. Today it is difficult to produce good quality fruit without some spraying. If spraying is impossible, small fruits such as strawberry, blackberry and gooseberry tend to be the most rewarding. Pears are susceptible to a disease known as fire blight, but if resistant varieties are properly grown, they may produce a fairly good fruit crop without spraying. Sour cherries are also a possibility for home planting. Sour cherry trees need to be placed in soils with good internal drainage. Trees in tight soils or in wet locations tend to be short lived.

Apples and peaches are the most desired home fruits. Both, however, have a number of common insect and disease problems that must be controlled. More resistance is being developed in new varieties, but is still not currently a solution to all problems that attack them. Many home gardeners find dwarf apple trees best suited to the limited space of many suburban lots. Even where there is plenty of space, dwarf trees provide certain benefits. They are much easier to care for, and any necessary spraying can be done with smaller, less expensive equipment.

Good spray coverage is easier with smaller trees, and much less spray is required. Dwarf trees normally need less pruning, and the fruit is much easier to pick. Although the trees are dwarf, the fruit is normal size and produced on younger trees. The extra initial cost of dwarf trees is small compared to the benefits and savings later encountered.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruit_tree