Planting Your Backyard Orchard

Think About This:

The Philosophy
of Backyard Orchard Culture

Then Take Action!      

• Select a fruit tree
• Plant a fruit tree
• Good varieties to plant together
• Tree Size is under your Control
• Protect your fruit trees

But wait! There's more...

• What if my tree is already too big?
• High-Density Plantings
• How to put up a Deer Fence
• Raised bed plantings

Selecting a fruit tree

There are two ways to purchase a fruit tree:

• You can buy it bare-root for the Best Selection
• You can buy it in a container for the Convenience

Either one is a perfectly good way to start out.

When selecting bare-root trees,
first make sure the varieties you choose are suited to the region you intend to plant them in.

Think about cold-hardiness or a later-bloomer to avoid late frosts or heavy rains. Don't forget disease and pest resistance or low chill requirements!

ASK QUESTIONS!

Determine when you would like the fruit to ripen!!!
Choosing varieties that come in at different times extends the time you will enjoy tree-ripe fruit from your yard.

Which tree to select?

I recommend the smaller caliper: Between 1/2" to 5/8" in size. Trees of this size respond well to any style of pruning

Look at the root to be sure it is in good shape & has no major breaks.

I recommend cutting it off at the height of your knee.

A tree this size responds very well to this cut by giving you a great flush of growth to work with in the spring.

When selecting larger caliper (3/4" & up), look for trees with good branching beginning from 1 foot to 3 feet from the top of the root. When a good distribution of limbs is found, cut trees back by two-thirds and select 3 or 4 limbs. Cut these limbs back by two-thirds and remove the rest.

Rootstock Thoughts

• Some rootstocks are very lightly rooted:for instance: Mahaleb rootstocks for cherries, B9 for apples, as well as many semi-dwarfing rootstocks for stone fruits. Figs, persimmons, and many nut varieties may also have light root systems. All these do quite well when properly planted.
• The choice of the rootstock may be the most important consideration when selecting a fruit tree.
• A semi-dwarf rootstock is no benefit if the tree dies because it cannot live in the conditions in your yard.
• Always ask for rootstocks that tolerate poor-draining soils.
• If you are not sure, consult a nurseryperson.

If the person who helps you seems to not know the value of choosing the proper rootstocks for the right reason, run! to another nursery until you find one who does.

This is the most common reason people lose fruit trees.

Ask yourself:
What's my drainage like? and you should be able to avoid this problem

Selecting a tree in a container

• look for a tree that is in good health,
• with rich, green-colored leaves,
• has no damage to the trunk,
• and no signs of disease.

Ask how long it has been potted - over 2 seasons is too long!

• Some oozing is due to early spring warming - not disease.
• Consult your nursery professional if you see this problem.

A little about Planting a Fruit Tree

The most important thing is to know what kind of drainage you are dealing with. The tree will not live in soil that does not drain or drains too slowly. Therefore it is most important to test to see how long it takes to drain.

Here's how:

• Dig a hole about l foot deep and fill it with water.
• Let it drain, then Fill It Again!

If it takes longer than 3 or 4 hours to drain on the 1st or 2nd filling, you have problems!

Your choices at this point are:

• Don't plant there
• Try raising the tree up above the soil line
• Try a French Drain
  • How To Install French Drains - About.com - David Beaulieu
  • Soil Drainage - University of Colorado
  • Creating a French Drain - Do it Yourself Doctor
  • Photos from Garden Advice U.K.

• About 3ft. to 4ft. square should do.
• Place the box in the poor draining spot.
• Place the tree in the box and fill with soil.
• Extend your harvest by planting more than one tree.

• When digging a hole, consider a tapered, funnel-shape.
• Dig a little deeper than the root is tall.
• Backfill with native or slightly amended soil.
• Place the tree in the center and cover it.

• Do not plant the tree any deeper than where the soil line is on the tree
• Tree roots will find their way to anchor and you need not even dig a hole
• Check with your local independent nurserypersons to see if they recommend any soil amendment
• Always Remember to MULCH!!

Good varieties to put together in the same hole (Multi-planting)

See Tom Spellman's in-depth article on Multi-Plantings

Because you want to pick fruit all season long, you need to consider Ripening Times.

The Harvest Sequence of the trees you plant is your key to many long seasons of fresh fruit.
You want 4, 3 or 2 trees in one hole, but the question you now face is - What to plant together?

Check out this Harvest Chart
or ask your local nurseryperson.

If they don't know ripening times, run away.

Let's look at how to combine by variety
with Apricot & Pluot®:

Planting 4 apricots or pluots® in 1 hole
will increase the odds that you will get
some fruit every year.

A great idea is to combine them both. Like this:

• Early season apricot
• Early season pluot®
• Late season apricot
• Late season pluot®
• WOW! You may also plant all apricots or all pluots®.

Cherries

Cherries ripen so early and close together (in time) that some folks might think 4 trees in 1 hole isn't worth the Effort.

But It Is!

Think about this combo --

1. Early black variety
2. Early Mid-season yellow variety
3. Early late season Black variety
4. Late season yellow variety

In half the space your neighbor will use for two trees, you will have twice the variety.

Peaches and Nectarines

• Early season yellow peach
• Early mid-season white nectarine
• Late mid-season white peach
• Late season yellow nectarine

You could do the same combo with all peaches or all nectarines if you chose, I just presented the most fun combo.

Plums

Same as above — except:

Mix the Red-Flesh with the Green-Flesh and don't forget to throw in a Yellow-Flesh.

Plums may also be mixed with apricots and pluots®.

Apples

The same timing as with stone fruits is applied,

But --

Your earliest ripening apple will be much later in the season

Your latest variety will also be much later.

Remember to consider:

• a Red apple,
• a Green apple,
• a Yellow apple,
• & a striped apple
• — All in the same hole.
• — Because: Variety is the spice of life.
• — You'll be able to Harvest better health!

Some things to think about before planting:

Trees that get above 8 feet tall are too big!

Size control is totally up to you.

Choose a height and don't let it get any taller.

Here is an idea of how tall your tree should be - OK, stand up, put your arms above your head = now, there's your tree.

There is no such thing as semi-dwarf rootstock for fruit trees in a typical backyard.

All of them get too big with the exception of some apple rootstocks like M27, M26, & M9 - & they'll need extra care to grow properly.

When someone tells you a tree gets to be half the size of a standard "and only grows 12 to 15 feet tall", tell them "that's too big!"

Summer Prune for Size Control!

Your first concern is that the tree survive in the soil and weather conditions of your yard.

If the rootstock is not adapted to your yard and your tree dies, it really doesn't matter if it was a dwarf or not, does it?

Protect your fruit trees

• From the late, heavy rains
• From late frosts
• From sunburn

Sunburn can be a big concern on newly planted trees, especially in the south-western climates. An interior white latex, diluted 50% with water, can help protect the tree from this problem. Paint your newly-planted tree from the ground all the way to the top.

Reminder:

Put the fabric over the top of the tree like a cap & let air flow freely underneath or cover the tree entirely to the ground.

Try it & see if you don't have better results with those marginal-cropping fruits.

It is best if you have kept your tree to a reasonable height: 6 to 8 feet (see Backyard orchard culture).

There are lightweight fabrics that can be put on top of your tree as a bonnet or umbrella.

These products have been developed for row crops to protect tender early plantings. The fabric is lightweight and very easy to work with. It still takes little time to put it over the tree (providing you have kept it in the 6 to 8ft. range), and it is reusable. Typar® is a brand name used by BBA Fiberweb™ Reemay, Inc. for its polypropylene products...