A visit to any of our local nurseries at this time of year is like a visit to the candy store for a gardener. There are so many exciting edibles available now and this is the time to get yours. How lucky am I that I get to recommend some to new property owners looking to create an edible landscape. Here are some that caught my eye at Mountain Feed & Farm Supply in Ben Lomond.
If you have limited space there are multi-graft trees that combine compatible pear, peach, apple, plum and nectarine. There’s even a “fruit cocktail tree” that combines totally different stone fruits.
For really small spaces maybe a Garden Delight Miniature Nectarine would be perfect. This tree is a heavy producer of sweet, freestone delicious fruit that ripens in August on a tree that’s only 5-6 feet tall. The beautiful pink flowers in the spring are spectacular.
Besides classics like Elberta Peach and royal Rainier Cherry, what about planting a Candy Heart Pluerry, a cross between plum and sweet cherry? Or how about a Cot-n-Candy Aprium, an apricot-plum hybrid with incredible flavor? Or maybe a Flavor Grenade Pluot with its explosive flavor? This taste test winner produces fruit that hangs on the tree for 4-6 weeks which is a real plus. If it’s a new cherry tree you have in mind, consider Craig’s Crimson. This taste test winner produces dark red, to nearly black, medium to large size fruit with a wonderful spicy flavor. And if you get overwhelmed with everything ripening at the same time in the summer, maybe a Carnival Peach which ripens late September to early October would be a welcome treat.
And I haven’t even started on all the blueberries, grapes, goji berries, gooseberries, boysenberries, raspberries, strawberries and not to be forgotten-the delicious fruiting mulberry all available now in bare root form.
Planting a bare root tree is easy. In most soils, even sand or clay, bare root trees are best planted in your native soil. Less is more when it comes to amending your soil. You want your tree’s roots to reach far into the surrounding soil, and if you have added too much amendment, the roots will tend to grow only in the richest soil right around the tree. You can add a starter fertilizer like Dr. Earth Root Zone or E.B.Stone Sure Start with mycorrhizae organisms and micronutrients, otherwise wait to fertilize your new tree after a year.
Don’t plant in heavy saturated soil. If your soil drains poorly it’s best to place your tree at an angle in a trench and cover with soil or place it in a can. Wait to plant until the soil is crumbly and friable. Digging in waterlogged soil is one of the worst things you can do for your soil’s health. Do a drain test by filling the hole with water. If the spot you’ve chosen doesn’t drain in 3-4 hours, then plant in another spot or on a raised mound.
What fruit trees can you grow here in the mountains? Well, almost everything. Most of us get 700 hours of winter chilling or more where the temperature is below 45 degrees. Even with climate change the chill hours add up. And we can still grow fruit like a Fuji apple that doesn’t require this much chill.
What if you don’t get full sun where you’d like to grow fruit trees? Apples, pluots and plums are good choices for an area that gets at least 5 hours of sun a day during the growing season. The ideal is full sun but these trees will still set and ripen some fruit in partially shaded conditions. With peaches, nectarines or apricots it’s a different story. These fruits need hot sun to develop sweet, tasty fruit. Too little sun and they will not deliver anything close to what you have in mind.
With a little planning you can have fresh fruit 7 months of the year. By growing your own fruit you’re not at the mercy of mechanical harvesters and shipping practices. You can grow fruit and harvest it when the time is right. Homegrown fruit is a world apart from agribusiness and much less expensive than the Farmer’s Market.