There are a number of very good reasons why it is good to produce your own fruit as well as vegetables in your own back yard (literally) including -
- Fresher fruit which equals sweeter fruit - it has not been harvested unripe then stored for months
- It teaches the kids where fruit really comes from
- It provides the satisfaction which comes from growing and eating your own produce
- It saves you money
- Food miles are reduced (to food feet!)
- No packaging to try and recycle or send to landfill.
- Reduced environmental impact of fertiliser and pesticide use
- You know where your food comes from and that it is not contaminated by pesticides
Growing fruit, particularly if you take the traditional “orchard” approach with full sized trees in rows 7 metres apart containing trees 5 metres apart within the rows needs a lot of room. However this extensive type of culture can be replaced in the back yard by a more intensive (and efficient) production method. There is no substitute for being able to walk out your back door and pick fruit off your own trees to eat fresh or process into jam, cordial or other home made goody. It is certainly worth thinking about but before I talk you into replanting your backyard with orange trees there is a potential downside to consider (isn’t there always?)
Fruit trees are a long term commitment; you can generally bank on a five years between first planting your trees and getting a reasonable fruit harvest. In fact if your trees seem to be producing early the fruit should be removed to allow the tree to put as much of its energy as possible into growing strong and healthy limbs which will support later crops. Good work early means better harvests later.
Some trees, particularly stone and pome fruit, are not self fertile and require a pollinator of the same fruit type, but a compatible variety or you may get little or no crop at all. This may be especially true for urban areas where other fruit trees may be few and far between. They are also difficult to relocate unless grown in a pot and this can make things difficult if you are renting. I did relocate a well grown mandarine tree from one side of the yard to the other years ago but it was a lot of work and the tree took three or four years to recover.
Also, if you are in a fruit fly area this pest can be difficult and time consuming to deal with using organic methods (and lets face it, one of the reasons we do this is to get pesticide free fruit). Stone fruit are particularly susceptible but other fruit types can also be affected.
If you still can’t wait for that first crisp bite of home grown apple or the sweetness of your very own oranges, here are some strategies to help you get the most out of the space you have.
Planning – If anything, it is more important to plan out a fruit garden than it is a veggie garden (and planning your veggie garden is pretty durn important!). Trees will get big, and it is important to understand what shade they will cast throughout the year. I made the beginners mistake of planting two fruit trees (an orange and an apple) north of the (then) main veggie patch. The apple tree grew well and shaded out everything else so it is long gone and the orange tree is now the choko tree and is regularly pruned to reduce its shading potential. When you are planning your orchard think about the profile of the mature tree, rather than the stick you are planting now, think about the fruit and where any windfalls will go and think about where the leaves will end up if any of the trees are deciduous. It is also important to research and find out what fruits grow well in your area, what their growth habit is, whether they need a pollinator or not and if they are dioecious (separate male and female trees).
Years ago we were offered a cheap carob tree so we got it and planted it in the front yard, full of enthusiasm that we would soon be making our own “chocolate”. It grew pretty slowly in our temperate climate (being originally from the tropics) and we waited 10 years for it to flower. When it did flower, something didn’t look right so I did some research and it turned out that carobs were dioecious and yup, we had a male tree. It would never produce pods for us. We wasted time and space on the damn thing, but that year it did keep us warm over winter. Needless to say, I should have done my research during the planning phase to reduce the possibility of such mistakes.
When you are developing your own plan, look at the area you have, what else is there, where the sun shines in summer and winter (to get the best out of your trees they will need full sun!) and what your soil is like. Then draw up the plan, making use of any of the strategies outline here that make sense for you. Don’t forget to include an action plan which sets out how you intend to implement your plan, and review the plan regularly.
If you already have some fruiting species in place (or even if you don’t!) it can be helpful to put together a harvest calendar as part of developing your plan. The harvest calendar process will help you work out what fruiting trees, vines and bushes you need to add to your property to ensure a year-round supply of fruit from your home orchard. Look here for suggestions of books you may wish to consult at during your researches.
Dwarf Varieties – Dwarf fruit trees are miniature versions of full size fruit trees and may be as small as 1 metre high, but the effectiveness of dwarfing techniques varies with the species and a “dwarf” cherry may still grow to 5- 6 metres. The fruit they produce is full size however and they can be quite prolific producers for their size.
Dwarf fruit trees are created by grafting standard scion wood onto a dwarfing (or semi-dwarfing) rootstock which stunts the growth of the tree, but there are also genetic dwarf trees that do not grow large due to their DNA. Genetic dwarfs are not larger varieties made small so the variety you are after may not be available. Fruit trees may also be dwarfed by root and branch pruning or growing the tree in a pot.
Vertical fruit gardening – Vertical fruit can be attained in the same way as vertical veggies. Grow passionfruit or grapes up a trellis or over a pergola, make an arbour and grow kiwifruit up it, make a strawberry tower or run berry canes up wire mesh secured between trees or on a fence. Established fruit trees can be used as a framework for climbing fruit vines as well. When developing your plan, don’t neglect vertical spaces or think that they are for veggies only but remember, for best production make sure they are in full sun as much as possible.
Fruit tree circle – A fruit tree circle allows the urban/suburban would-be orchardist to plant a number of productive trees in a comparatively small area. There are a couple of types of fruit tree circles, the classic being the banana circle, but they all basically consist of a circle of productive trees clustered around a source of fertility. In the case of a banana circle it is usually a hole in the ground filled with organic matter which breaks down and produces nutrients which the bananas can readily metabolise. In the case of the fruit tree circle which I built in my front yard, the source of fertility is a worm tower into which veggie scraps and other organic matter is placed, which is then broken down by the worms so the trees can make use of the nutrients.
Fruit salad tree/fruit cocktail tree – There are fruit trees produced with multiple grafts ie scion wood from different (but related) trees is grafted onto the one rootstock, that way you can get a mix of fruit from one tree. They may be different varieties of the one fruit type say, 3 apple or pear varieties on the one rootstock or there may be different types within the one family eg stone fruit – cherry, peach and plum scions on one rootstock. You need to ensure that all varieties get enough sun, they can be tricky to prune and if one variety or type is extra vigorous it can grow larger at the expense of the other cultivars. They are also expensive, but they can provide a variety of fruit from a comparatively small area.
Multiple fruit trees in one hole – The idea here is that multiple trees grown together will compete for space, light and nutrients thus dwarfing each other, although pruning will still be needed to shape and balance the trees. To make this happen, dig one extra large hole and then plant 2-4 fruit trees into it then back fill with a mix of soil and compost or well rotted manure. It is important to ensure that all of the trees have similar rootstocks so that one tree does not become dominant and out-compete the others. While this approach has some of the advantages and disadvantages of the above fruit salad tree it is something you can put together yourself without needing specialist knowledge of budding and grafting.
Pruning – Fruit trees usually grow in a three dimensional space, taking up quite a bit of room in the process, but it is possible to prune them so that most of their growth is in two dimensions. The fruit trees or vines are grown against a structure, usually a wall or fence but something could be specially constructed if required and only trees on dwarfing rootstocks should pruned in this manner.
For the cordon form, all limbs are pruned off to leave a central stem which is planted at an angle to the ground (usually 45°) and fruiting spurs grow along this stem. This system allows lots of trees in a small area but obviously the yield of fruit from each tree is somewhat reduced. The espalier form is a central vertical trunk pruned to give three or four horizontal leaders on each side, which are trained onto horizontal wires. For the cordon, trees are spaced 0.5 to 1 metre apart and for the espalier they are spaced 3 to 6 metres apart.
Stacking – this is the process of maximising the yield of fruit from 3 a dimensional space by planting fruit bearing plants which grow at several different levels. For example, the framework would be full sized fruit trees, inter-planted with dwarf fruit trees which would yield at the next level down, followed by currants and berry canes making up the next lower level. Any remaining spaces could be planted out to low fruits like blueberries and strawberries are planted as a ground cover. Fruiting vines such as grape, passionfruit or kiwifruit are planted to make use of the full sized fruit trees as climbing support. This set up is also referred to as a food forest or when planted in a two dimensional edge planting as a hedgerow or longitudinal food forest.
Integrate Fruit Plantings – don’t think that you have to isolate your ornamental and productive planting areas. To get more room you can plant productive species all through your land including flower beds and lawns, provided you can maintain full sun. You may even find it worthwhile to remove some ornamental plantings and totally replace them with fruiting plants. In any case, when planning your mini-orchard don’t count any space you have available to you out before you give it some serious thought.
Containers – many fruit trees, bushes and shrubs do well in pots and by putting full size fruit trees into pots the restriction of the roots will also have a dwarfing effect. When fruit trees are grown in pots, care must be taken to ensure that they do not dry out and this can happen quickly in hot weather, especially when unglazed terracotta pots are used. If the trees are to be grown in a climate which can be hot and dry it is worth planning to grow them in self watering pots or install a watering system to prevent moisture stress and subsequent reduction in fruit yield. Pots should also be mulched to help retain moisture.
In general terms, especially for fruit trees (as opposed to shrubs or bushes) get the biggest pot you can afford (20 litres and above) and use high quality potting mix. The potting mix should include some perlite to prevent compacting of the soil and ensure aeration and adding cocopeat will also aid in water retention. In any case fruit trees should be re-potted every two years, at which point root pruning can be carried out to keep the tree smaller and the potting mix replaced to ensure fertility is maintained.
With careful planning, the right construction and some maintenance you can have your own orchard in the city or suburbs to supply you with fresh fruit on a regular basis. What could be better than that?
If you are interested in small space gardening you may also be interested in the companion article to this one - Strategies for a productive small vegetable garden
