So you want to grow food in your garden, but something more substantial than vegetables?
As spring is just around the corner, you get the urge that fruit trees are what you want to enhance your yard with. Nothing like having apples, pears and plum trees in full blossom - to mark the arrival of spring. The thought of big delicious fruit picked and eaten straight off the tree, its juices running down your hand entices the idea even more.
But wait, growing fruit trees requires foresight, responsibilities and commitment, especially, when the fruit do not always turn out the way you imagined.
Fruit trees can live a long time, and they can take awhile before they come into peak production. Then, on the other hand, your tree might produce less than show stopper fruit. Where you almost need to look through a magnifying glass to make them the size of those beautiful fruit found in the stores. Or maybe they will produce those fruits where you have to strategically place your fingers to cover up those ugly blemishes.
You have to ask yourself a few things before committing to growing fruit trees or creating an orchard. It is just not about “do I have the space” but:
• How long will I be living here in Lions Bay?
• Do I plan to move soon or my job puts me on the move?
There is nothing like moving and the next homeowner isnʼt fond of your prize fruit trees.
• Will I take the time to pick the fruits once they ripen or will my interest wane as the novelty wears off?
• What happens if the fruit donʼt exactly turn out as pictured on the tag?
• Will I still pick them and what will I do with them?
• What will I do if I get an abundant crop of fruit?
• Will I invest in a fruit picker, if the trees become too large?
• Am I aware of bear activity in the Village or am I on the Bear Smart email list?
• Do I practice Bear Smart practices?
If your heart is still set on fruit trees, the latest trend is to get dwarf / semi dwarf grafted fruit trees. Look for ones where 2 – 3 different varieties have been grafted onto a rootstock. This reduces the amount of trees you need and they can pollinate each other or selfpollinate.
Know when your fruit will ripen. Fruit trees - like cherries - mainly ripen at the end of June/early July when bear activity is still at a minimum. Your main competitors are robins and squirrels. Of course, there is nothing like have a cherry tree, heavily laden with cherries and as you wait for them to fully ripen, you realize the squirrels and robins are raiding your tree daily and rapidly depleting your crop, and now you are only left with a handful of cherries. You resort to slicing the few remaining harvested cherries into halves, so everyone gets a sample. For that reason, I find them relatively safe to keep in bear country, but not the greatest fruit suppliers for baking pies with.
There is another kind of tree that bears fruit, which is largely overlooked and you will still have the novelty of growing food bearing trees in your yard. Iʼve recently diversified my own orchard to include many of these trees. I recommend this to those who want something different and are easily cared for. Donʼt think only “orchards” think also “groves”.
Nut trees are perfect for those who want the novelty of harvesting food without the constant cleaning up of fruit or fear of attracting bears. Your main competitor – naturally, will be squirrels. Nut trees can take years, even decades to mature and even then some trees require certain conditions to be able to bear nuts or increase nut bearing capabilities - like being subject to prolonged sub zero temperatures. Nut trees, unlike fruit trees, are mostly slow growing but can grow rather large. When deciding on nut trees, take into consideration the trees height and their circumference at maturity. When planting nut trees, you plant for the future and not for the moment.
Different types of nut trees to consider are:
Hazelnuts, Chinese chestnuts, American chestnuts,(not to confuse with the inedible horse chestnuts) shellbark hickory, hardy pecans or black walnuts (please note, black walnut roots excrete a substance that inhibits the growth of many other plants growing under or near them). Or try a smaller exotic olive tree, not a nut tree, but still productive. Of course, if that is just too much work – then there are always sugar maples!
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Show/hide comment form
Latest Events
- Radio Controlled Car Club
May 22, 2012 (18:30)Please join this enthusiastic group of young and old at the Village Hall as they RACE with radio-controlled cars! No speed limit required.
