My fruit trees arrived last night via UPS. They came packed in a box and looked like nothing more than twigs.
That is exactly how they are supposed to look!!
Choosing the type of fruit tree to grow is really the easiest part of your decision.
The second choice you must consider is size.
Dwarf– smallest, needs 8′ diameter space, easy to prune and harvest, smaller harvest and do NOT live as long as bigger trees.
Semi-Dwarf– medium size, needs 15′ diameter space, grows 10-16′ tall and pruning can keep it shorter, can produce hundreds of fruit per season. MOST POPULAR.
Standard– Huge, can grow 25-30′ or even taller if left unpruned, because of their size they are hard to prune and harvest.
The third is the Cultivar.
You want to pick a cultivar of a fruit that will be resistant to as many diseases and bugs that are common in your area.
I use Ohio State University Fact Sheet as my guide. I would check out your local University to see if they offer the same kind of guide.
I was looking to replace a few trees that I lost over the last couple of years. Four apples and one Peach. I picked according to most resistant, a high producer and a type that I enjoy eating.
Two- Liberty Apple, Semi Dwarf
Two- Redfree Apple, Semi Dwarf
One- Stellar Peach Semi Dwarf
I ordered from Grandpa’s Orchard back in February and they ship to you according to planting times.
The rule of thumb when planting fruit trees is to plant where there is good drainage, full sun, decent soil and not to amend the soil. If you have to amend chances are it is not a good place to plant trees.
Dig the hole to accommodate roots and soil is above grafting point.
Here is the diagram on where the grafting point is on a tree. This diagram is on Grampa’s website.
Fill soil back in over roots and pat down to ensure that your tree won’t tip.
Water enough to make sure that the soil around roots is tapped down.
The trees I ordered were pruned in order to ship. If you pick trees that have not been pruned you must do a hard cut right after planting. I know it seems awful to cut away at such a baby, but it really is the best for the tree and will give you the most fruit in a few years.
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Great post, however I’m a little concerned about one point. You mention buying semi-dwarf trees, yet your diagram and text suggest locating the graft union below the soil level. Doing so will eventually result in one of those huge standard-sized trees that prevailed in grampa’s orchard a generation ago.
To maintain the dwarf characteristic you must plant so that the graft union is above the soil level. Otherwise the scion will root and you will loose the benefit of the dwarfing rootstock.
The graft union is only planted below the soil level when the tree is grafted onto a seedling or standard rootstock where you are not expecting to grow a dwarf tree.
A fruit garden can bring you a ton of healthy fun. Hope you are enjoying yours!
Stella,
Thanks for sharing your information.
Best, Amy