Dwarf fruit trees are smaller versions of regular fruit trees yet they produce full size fruit. They only grow about 12 to 15 feet high, making it easier to harvest fruits and maintain by pruning and spraying for pests. You can plant several dwarf fruit trees in your yard and grow a small urban orchard.
Choose a site. Dwarf fruit trees need at least 8 hours of sun per day. Position your dwarf fruit tree so that it is not shaded by buildings or other trees.
Prepare a planting hole. Dig a hole that is twice as large as the root ball of the tree you are planting. Mix the soil you removed with one 5-gallon bucket of peat moss and one 5-gallon bucket of well rotted compost. Loosen the soil at the bottom of the planting hole with a garden fork. Add granulated fertilizer specially formulated for fruit trees to the bottom of the hole, following the manufacturer's recommended quantities.
Plant the tree. Add some of the improved soil to the bottom of the hole so the tree will grow at the same level as it was growing in the nursery pot. Carefully put the root ball into the planting hole. Back fill the hole with improved soil. Firm the surface gently but firmly with your foot.
Use your hands to make a ridge around the planting hole with the soil. This forms a slight depression in the ground and helps catch water to help the tree get established.
Water thoroughly. Put a hose set to a slow trickle near the tree trunk. Thoroughly water the tree by letting the hose run for about one hour.
Apply mulch. Place a 4- to 6-inch layer of wood chips or shredded bark on the surface of the soil inside the ridge you formed in Step 4. Pull the mulch away from the trunk of the tree so it's about 1 to 2 inches away. This discourages slugs and other pests from hanging out near the tree trunk.