Every spring I plant my little garden in a square patch of soil in my backyard. It’s a lot of work, the digging and planting, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love vegetables and growing my own is very satisfying. I also love fruit but, besides strawberries and tomatoes, most fruits grow on trees or bushes. Planting fruit trees and bushes is rewarding for so many reasons. They can live for decades, even generations, often becoming family heirlooms. They provide you with scrumptious organic fruit every year. And, like all trees, they are good for the environment by filtering the air and conditioning the soil.
I realized that if I wanted to grow my own fruit, I had to take the leap and plant some food outside of my little garden patch. A few years ago I planted a couple of pear trees in my front yard and half a dozen blueberry bushes in the backyard. I’m so glad I did! It only took a couple of hours to get everything in the ground, but less time than it took to plant the vegetable garden. Many people hesitate to get involved in such a long-term project, but planting and taking care of fruit trees and bushes is much less work than you’d imagine. There are definitely some rules you’ll need to follow to get your tree off to a good start, but after the initial planting, taking care of your fruit tree will involve very little of your time.
The first thing you’ll want to do is research which fruits will do well within your planting zone. Fruit trees require a certain amount of “chill hours”. (Murfreesboro is considered zone 6, but other parts of Tennessee are in zone 7.) Most fruit trees are not self-pollinating, except for peach trees, so you’ll need to plant two trees of the same fruit, but different variety. (Say, if you really want to plant a Honeycrisp apple tree, make sure you plant a different variety of apple as well, such as a Pink Lady or Gravenstein.) You’ll also want to decide what size of fruit tree is best for you. Most fruit trees are available in three sizes. Standard fruit trees can grow as tall as 30 feet. These full-sized trees require a lot of space and are very difficult to harvest. On the other end of the spectrum are dwarf trees. They only get about 8 feet tall, but they don’t produce a lot of fruit. I planted semi-dwarf trees which grow to approximately 15 feet tall. Semi-dwarf trees are very productive, giving you hundreds of fruit per season.
It’s very important to select the proper site before you plant your fruit trees. Keep in mind that this place will be your tree’s permanent home. You’ll want to scout out a place in your yard that has good drainage and gets a good deal of sun. You don’t want to plant the trees too close together or too close to a building or electrical wires. Your trees are small now, but remember they’ll get bigger with time. Once you have decided where you’re going to plant your trees, now it’s time to start digging!
The most common mistake people make is digging too small a hole for their new tree. You’ll want to dig the hole twice the size of the root ball. If you order your trees online, you’ll most likely be receiving bare-root trees. In this case, dig the hole twice the size of the root circumference. This will ensure there is plenty of loose soil for the roots to grow into easily. Set your tree down into your super-sized hole, making sure the graft line of the tree is 3 inches above the ground. Shovel half of the dirt back in and then water thoroughly. After the water has drained, fill the hole with the rest of the dirt and firm gently with your foot. Give your tree another good soaking and then cover with at least 2 inches of mulch. Piece of cake!
All of the hard work is done, but don’t just forget about your new trees. You’ll have to give them a little TLC for the first couple of years if you want them to really flourish. The most important thing your trees will need is water. For the first year, please make sure you water them thoroughly every two weeks and even weekly during hot spells. After the first year, just make sure you water them during dry spells. You’ll also want to do some annual winter pruning. I’d advise you to read up a little on pruning before you make the first cut, though. Pruning is a little tricky at first. You’ll also want to feed them in the spring with an organic fertilizer formulated for fruit trees.
Now all you have to do is wait. Some fruit trees start bearing after only one year, but others can take up to five years. Don’t worry. After biting into your first home-grown peach, pear, apple or plum, you’ll know it was well worth the wait!
