How to Start Growing Fruit Trees in your backyard provides a rewarding experience with its sweet smell and ready to pick fruit.
How to Start Growing Fruit Trees in your Backyard Video
Why You Should Grow Fruit Trees at your Homestead
Springtime is the best time to plant fruit trees in your backyard. Planting in the spring give your trees a jump start on the season and help them establish a good home. When you decide to start a orchard filled with fruit trees in your backyard it will last a lifetime. The future reward you will gain from planting fruit trees will be priceless. Take a survey of your backyard and decide where there is a lot of sun, plenty of room to grow and very well drained soil. I like to sketch out what I like to grow and where I want to grow my fruit trees. Notice when you decide on location any buildings, walkways or electrical lines. I have decide to grow twelve variety of fruit trees that will be successful in my zone and space. After you have decided number and varieties of trees you want to plant it is time to study and determine variety.
Choosing the Right Site for Growing Fruit Trees
When selecting a fruit tree; buy smaller trees that are less mature. Less mature trees are easier to transport and train.
Home Orchard in your backyard can serve may purposes. One purpose is the beautiful blossoms in the spring and the sweet smell scent. Choosing the right site for growing fruit trees will reap bountiful of fruit. Find a site that has plenty of sun and some shade throughout the day.
Soil must be able to drain well. PH is essential for growing fruit trees. Test your soil regularly. Add sulfur to lower PH and lime to raise PH.
Dwarf Trees are nice for backyards because they can be more productive and easier to maintain. Dwarf Trees will start producing around three years.
Building Healthy Soil for Fruit Tree’s
Building healthy soil on your homestead is important for success. Healthy soil needs good microorganisms protect from diseases, the roots and from pest.
Encourage Pollination while Growing Fruit Trees
All fruit trees grow better with a lifetime mate and encouraging pollination is essential. To create cross pollination your fruit tree must be from the same family. “Peaches need Peaches and “Apples love Apples”. Pollination is successful with insects such as bees and bees like to not travel far. Bee’s will create pollen from one tree to the next and this will help with the production. Poor pollination is cause when there is not enough similar trees within a certain area. It is essential to grow a variety of plums, cherries, peaches, and apples.
Apple Trees
Apple Trees pollinated better with another tree in the same family group. Try to plant apple trees together within eight to ten feet. Many selections of apple trees need several hours of cold temperatures below forty-five degrees.
Peach Trees
Peach Trees love a good mate as long as they are in the peach family. Like all fruit trees peach trees required regular watering in the beginning of it development. Unfortunately, Peach Trees are not a low maintenance tree and desire attention.
Plum Trees
There will need to be two Plum Trees to have success in pollinations. There are a variety of plum trees that grow well in several climates. Some Plum Trees required cooler winter months where other plum tree like a warm climate all year.
Cherry Trees
Sweet Cherry Trees need two different trees as well but, they should not be sour. Sweet Cherry Trees like to pollinate when there is another sweet cherry tree nearby. Sour Cherry Trees do not require a mate and do just fine buy themselves.
Pear Trees
Two Trees are required with growing pear trees within their family. Note, there are some pear trees that like more than two trees for pollination. Pear Trees just like apple trees need many hours of cooler temps throughout, the year to be hardy.
Steps in How to Start Growing Fruit Trees in your Backyard
1.) Plant your fruit trees in the spring and when the soil is not too wet.
2.) Soak the roots of your fruit tree in a bucketful of water for a few hours to hydrate before planting. It is important that your fruit trees have about a half of inch of water throughout the summer each day.
3.) Dig a hole twice the size of your fruit tree. Remove your tree from the container by gently squeezing the sides. Place inside the hole and fill with dirt. At this time, you can feed with plant food while filling the hole.
4.) Gently lift the tree to make sure it is secure, and secure with more dirt and natural mulch. You may use hay as well to cover around your fruit tree. Grass Clippings are perfect as a mulch and hold moisture and do not create a hiding place for rodents such as rodents and moles.
5.) Place your low branches southeast to protect it from the harsh winter. Water every day until established unless rain is present.
6.) Finally, label all your tree’s and document their development.
Trimming and Harvesting Fruit Trees in your Backyard
All fruit trees require regular pruning especially when fruit is not bountiful. The best time to prune your fruit trees in your backyard is in the fall. Cut back any dead or broken branches and of course anything that looks unhealthy. Dark, black patches or fungal spores are a sign of your fruit tree being unhealthy. Cut off any infection at least six to eight inches from the healthy part of the tree. Remove any suckers; suckers are usually at the base and do not produce anything but take nutrients from the tree.
Fruit trees have seasons when they ripen. When fruit starts falling from the tree it is ripe! Seeds within the fruit will be dark brown when ripe. Try to pick your fruit on a dry day and not when it has just rain. Store your ripen fruit in a cool, dark place until you eat or use it to preserve.
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