Smallest fruit trees/shrubs for backyard orchard culture
dubai-gardener
9 years ago
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larry_gene
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Backyard Orchard Culture (pruning bareroot trees)
Comments (11)One caveat on peach trees in particular is they have a harder time pushing new buds on larger stocks. I have lost a couple peach trees I lopped at 15". I would first look for clear marks of buds on the main stem before lopping off; if the tree is a 2-year tree it will have plenty of those and you should be fine. If it is an older tree you may want to leave some of the branches. Note that this is only an issue on a freshly planted tree, the combination of just being transplanted and needing to push new buds is the problem. Also it is only a problem on peaches. I have many rows of 3' or 4' spaced trees, its my favorite fruit growing arrangement. I see you are in zone 6b so you are probably in the midwest or east where it is more humid. In those environments you need to do a lot more thinning than the California-centric DWN backyard orchard culture method will give you; if you don't you will get significant disease problems. I know because I spent several years fighting various disease problems that could have been avoided had I known how to prune properly. Basically what this means is to keep plenty of spacing between the various branches. A very rough guide is that a 1" diameter branch should be about 2' from the nearest 1"-er, a 1/2"er should be at least 1' away, etc. If there is too much density you just pick one of the two that are competing for the same space and remove it. It doesn't matter if it is from the same or a different tree, the same principle applies. Scott...See Morebackyard orchard culture
Comments (10)My yard is also a small city lot, and the backyard orchard culture has a lot of advantages. Around 25 years ago, I read up on peach trees that ripened early, midseason, and late; bought, and planted three close together in one hole, and enjoyed a succession of fresh peaches over the summer. My friend, who only had one peach tree, had a large glut of peaches all at once, and was having a hard time using them, giving them away. One of my peach trees died at around ten years old, the other two around fifteen to eighteen years old. The only pruning I did was to shape the branches so they didnÂt crowd or shade each other too much, letting them intertwine. The clay soil drainage there wasnÂt very good, floods in winter, which may be why they eventually died. IÂve replaced them with a raised box of four pluot trees, as shown on the Wilson website, and have added a four box of four citrus trees, four plum trees, and a combination apricot/nectarine/apriot four box. Also an apple hedge (planted 4 feet apart) along the north and south property line, and a grape hedge in the front yard, (replacing a boxwood and ivy hedge) The one apple tree I planted solo twenty years ago grew big, over produced, blew over in a wind storm. I donÂt think IÂll ever go back to solo tree plantings, unless they are heavily grafted with a variety of scions. There are just too many cultivars to try and enjoy, and IÂm at an age now to appreciate quality rather than quantity. Life is too short for grass lawns, boxwood/ivy hedges....See MoreLooking for Backyard Orchard growers in Central Ohio
Comments (12)Hi Kimberly, I am just north of you. I have a half acre, very wooded subivision lot that is crammed with all the fruit my husband will let me plant. (Most of my landscaping is getting replaced with ornamental bushes that fruit!) One suggestion that I would have for you is to pick very disease resistant, low-care trees/bushes/plants. My friend who lives around the corner from me has a large planting of apples, pears, cheries, etc., but has a lot of trouble with insects and disease. There are definitely varieties of apples and pears that are easier to grow than others due to disease resistance. Sweet cherries are going to be tough without a lot of spraying. I have two Carmine Jewel cherry bushes that are more like pie cherries but only get 6 feet tall, so they can be netted. Birds and especially squirrels are a big problem here. If I had your space, I would definitely do the cane fruits - Navaho and Triple Crown blackberries, Caroline red raspberries, Jewell black raspberries, etc. Easy - and if you net them, you will get to eat them. Some unusual and low care fruit trees you might consider are American Persimmon - Yates is supposed to be delicious and productive without a male. I am going to plant a Nikita's Gift hybrid persimmon in the spring. Also, an Illinois Everbearing mulberry gets lots of good reviews on this forum. The animals are the only thing you will have to fight for those trees. Both persimmons and mulberries are extremely nutritious, too. Good luck and have fun! Mary Kay...See Moreinfo. from califonia backyard orchard site
Comments (2)Low chill is only a good thing in low chill areas. In an area where chill hours accumulate rapidly, a low chill tree will break dormancy long before it is safe for the tree to do so....See Moredubai-gardener
9 years agoglib
9 years agodubai-gardener
9 years ago
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