Even if you have a small garden you have room for a fruit tree. A fruit tree will produce blossoms in the spring and it will enhance the soil that surrounds it. The size of your yard will determine the variety of fruit tree you can grow. The standard sized fruit tree, the semi dwarf and the dwarf tree can be planted in your garden. The semi dwarf and the dwarf fruit trees are best suited as a container grown tree. Fruit trees and vines not only need plenty of sunlight they also need protection from the wind. Even moderate blowing winds can create problems such as damaged growth, a dejection of pollinating insects and falling fruit. It might be a good idea to plant your fruit tree or trees near some taller trees in order to form a natural wind barrier. When picking the area for your fruit tree, consider your
landscape. If you have slopes nearby they can cause frost pockets which will affect the fruit. Your fruit trees need to be pollinated in order for them to bare fruit. Some trees are self-pollinating, some need to be planted in pairs, and some require three of a kind to be pollinated. Your local garden nursery will be able to assist you in letting you know which varieties are self-pollinating.
You will need to prepare the soil the same as you would for an organic garden. You can enhance the soil by using a store bought
organic compost or you can make your own compost. When selecting your organic gardening fruit trees make sure to visit a nursery so you can examine it in order to pick the strongest. You can probably choose a potted tree or a bare-root tree. The best sites to plant any organic fruit tree will have soil that is deep and rich in organic minerals and nutrients. Organic apple trees and organic pear trees usually like a slightly acidic soil in the coastal regions of the United States; many of the stone varieties like organic cherry trees and organic plum trees prefer a mild alkalinity of the inland soils. Most fruit bearing trees will not handle damp, poorly drained soils.
Even though it may take years for the tree to produce fruit, a young potted tree is most likely to adapt quicker to its new environment than an older potted variety. Once the young tree is healthy and adapted it is most likely to bare fruit quicker than the older tree. The bare-root tree is cheaper to purchase but is sturdier than the potted variety but either one will work fine in the garden.
Trees are able to be grown in any shape or style. You can choose to train to grow diagonally along a wall or fence, or let it grow wild. There are different ways to let an
organic fruit tree naturally incorporate into your garden. A young tree will most likely need to be staked for support after planting in order to keep the stem sturdy and for the direction you want it to grow.
Pruning plays a huge role in training the direction in which you want your tree to grow and it encourages it to bear fruit. The least amount of pruning that should be done is to remove any branches that cross each other. You can use chicken wire along a fence or wall and by using gardening tape gently tie some of the branches to the wire to train them to grow horizontally. By planting varieties of native grasses and plants around the fruit trees will help avoid many harmful pests. You can also plant lavender bushes or other flowers near the fruit trees to entice the bees. The bees are necessary for the pollination of your
organic fruit trees. The more insect you have in your garden the healthier your fruit will be.
