Home Grown Fruit Trees
This year we’re going to be planting apple and peach trees in our yard. Each year since the house was built we’ve been adding landscaping projects to spruce up the yard. This year we’ve decided it’s time for some fruit trees. The choice has been made to go with Apple and Peach Trees which we purchased from Adams County Nursery.
Ordering Fruit Trees
Before ordering fruit trees for your yard it’s best to do some research. Fruit trees are actually more complicated that I realized and that’s especially true for apples. Without going into too much detail there are a few things you should know.
For instance, apple trees typically (not always the case) require at least two different varieties in order for proper pollination to occur. In addition, the two varieties must blossom about the same in order for the pollination to occur. Because of this it’s important to buy your fruit trees from a reputable nursery that can help you make proper selections based on your climate, available lot size and type of apple you want.
Peach trees are self-pollinating so it’s a bit easier to make selections. However, from my research it appears that using at least two different varieties can enhance fruit production and size so we opted for two varieties of peaches as well.
Planting Fruit Trees
Our fruit trees arrived via FedEx this week wrapped nicely in plastic bags. My plan is to plant them this weekend if the weather holds out. The apple trees that we selected are on a EMLA 7 rootstock which means they will grow to be 12′ to 15′ in height. This means those trees should be spaced 12′ to 15′ apart so the trees get plenty of sun.
Fruit trees like well drained soils so our sandy-loam back yard should be ideal. We ordered 4 apple trees and 4 peach trees which will get planted 12′ to 15′ apart in two rows which will create a long corridor approximately 45′ long.
Future Fruit Tree Articles
After the trees are planted we’ll post some pictures and information on planting fruit trees. The process will also include some heavy pruning along with trunk protection, watering and fertilizing. Be sure to come back for more information!