If you dream of having a ready supply of delicious fruit to enjoy at home, why not consider adding fruit trees to your garden? Perhaps you’ve been put off the idea, thinking it too labour-intensive but growing a fruit tree in your garden could be easier than you might first think.
Fruit trees are not only popular for their delicious harvest but also make a decorative addition to any garden. Apple-blossom and cherry-blossom are particularly pretty in spring and is it is a joy to see the tiny pink and white flowers appearing after a long winter. And in late-summer, what could be better than seeing a tree heavy with glorious fruit?
If your garden isn’t the right shape or size for a traditional fruit tree, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to dismiss the idea completely. There are other ways to introduce fruit trees to the garden aside from the usual free-standing tree structure. For example, you could train branches against a wall or fence. An ‘espalier’ is a two-dimensional tree shape that grows against a flat structure, such as a wall while a ‘cordon’ is a single stem option that can be grown vertically or on a diagonal angle – a row of cordons looks particularly attractive against a wall or fence.
How to Choose a Fruit Tree
The best thing to do when choosing a fruit tree for your garden is to visit your local garden centre or plant nursery and ask for advice. Some gardens will be better suited to certain fruits and an expert will be able to advise. Whatever you choose, check that the rootstock is healthy and consider what size the tree is likely to grow to and whether the size of the tree is suitable for your garden. It’s also important to choose a self-fertilising tree, unless you are planning to introduce more than one tree. Most importantly when choosing a fruit tree, select one with fruit that you will enjoy eating! Apple and pear are obvious choices but you could also experiment with figs, plums, cherries or apricots.
What to Do
When you buy your fruit tree, ask the retailer for advice on how best to plant it. Here are some handy hints:
- Don’t plant a tree during a frost
- Soak roots before planting
- Container-grown trees can be planted at any time of year while bare-root trees can be planted late autumn to early winter
- Choose the right spot for your tree – ideally one which is sunny and sheltered to give fruit the best chance of growing successfully
- Ask at your garden centre for products that will protect your fruit tree from pests
- Remember new trees will usually need a stake for support while they become established
- Follow the retailer’s advice regarding feeding, watering and mulching your tree
Enjoy your Harvest
Hopefully, your first experimentations with a fruit tree will be successful and come harvest-time you’ll have a bounty of delicious fruit to enjoy.
For more advice on how to grow a wide range of fruit, visit: www.rhs.org.uk/Advice/Grow-Your-Own/Fruit
