| Fruit Trees - How to Plant, Grow and Care for Fruit Trees in Your Backyard |
Planting Fruit Trees Is Good For Your Health and Diet!
| A fruit tree is any tree that produces fruit for human food, which makes fruit trees valuable to home gardeners who not only want to save money by producing more of their own food but also want to enjoy many more varieties than are generally found at the grocery store. |
Bay Laurel Nursery has one of the largest selections of unusual but dependable fruit trees anywhere in the USA. By picking your fruit when it's ripe, you'll enjoy the full flavor that only home grown fruit from your own fruit trees can offer since commercially grown fruit is often picked before it is ripe so that it looks ripe by the time it reaches your local grocer. |
Where to Plant Your Fruit Trees
Planting Using Backyard Orchard Culture
Bay Laurel Nursery is a strong supporter of Backyard Orchard Culture, which is a system designed to increase the amount of trees a homeowner with a small or medium sized lot can grow. Using Backyard Orchard Culture you can grow more trees in less room by following the techniques and guidelines on our Backyard Orchard Culture page.
Planting Using Standard Planting Methods
If you are not following Backyard Orchard Culture, general fruit tree planting guidelines are as follows:
- Plant where your fruit trees will receive at least six hours of sun a day during the growing season.
- Sun should not be blocked by buildings, fences or other obstacles.
- Plant at least three feet from sidewalks and driveways and six feet away from buildings - roots will spread wider than the tree crown.
- Allow ten to fifteen feet space between fruit trees.
How to Plant Fruit Trees
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Dig a hole at least wide enough for the roots of your tree so that none of them are bent. Make it deep enough for the tree's roots to be completely covered. A wider hole is better, if possible, since that will make it easier for the tree to grow.
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| 2 |
Chip away at the sides of your hole to break any compacted soil - this will make it easier for your tree's roots to grow beyond the initial hole.
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Most Bare root trees from Bay Laurel Nursery do not need to be staked. But if yours does, use at least a five or six foot garden stake hammered about two feet into the bottom of the hole a little off center on the southern side, if possible.
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Make a mound of soil a few inches high in the bottom of the hole from some you dug out. Pat the soil down.
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Carefully place your fruit tree in to the hole, centered on the mound and spreading its roots. The tree has a "graft union" (sometimes called a "bud union") visible which is where the root stock is grafted to the trunk. This should be visible near the base of the trunk. This should be placed slightly above the existing ground level. It's better to plant a little high than low since trees often settle, just make sure the roots are completely covered.
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Amending the soil with nutrients may be necessary; however it is better not to over-amend since doing so will create an artificial environment for the tree that in the long run will stunt growth. Check with your local garden center and buy whatever amendments are recommended for your area. Many garden centers now promote organic gardening, so find one in your area so you can grow organic trees that will produce healthy fruit the organic way.
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Start filling in the excavated soil that you have amended according to your local needs back into the hole, carefully covering over just the roots. Gently pat down the soil a little and then water to help the soil settle around the roots.
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Continue adding another layer of soil, repeating the process of patting it down slightly and watering to help the soil settle and fill in any air holes. Fill in up to the original ground level.
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Use any leftover soil to build a raised circle around the tree to keep water in. Ideally build the circle about four feet in diameter. Placing organic material such as leaves, mulch or bark inside the circle can help protect the trees roots and help water retention.
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