A very fruitful harvest...

Nothing in your garden can even come close to the sustainable return on investment that a fruit tree offers. Did you know that a single semi-dwarf apple tree can produce several hundred apples in a single season, with a productive life of up to 20 years?

There are different sizes of trees available for whatever space you have available, and even in the colder zones in New England, there are any number of different fruit types and varieties to choose from. Fruit trees generally come in three sizes, dwarf, semi-dwarf, and standard. Dwarf trees are the smallest of the three varieties. They tend to have a smaller yield due to their smaller size, but they also take up less space (an 8’ circle of space is all you need) and are easier to prune and harvest than larger trees. At the other extreme are standard size fruit trees. These are the trees you plant if you want to recreate the stately old apple trees you used to climb in your grandpa’s back yard. These trees require the most space, reaching 20-30 feet if left untended, and are a bit more difficult to prune and harvest. Semi-dwarf trees (as the name implies) are somewhere in the middle. The great thing about these trees is that they produce just about as much fruit as a standard tree, but don’t grow quite as large, and so are easier than standard trees to prune and harvest.

When looking at what size trees to buy for your available space, also consider that some fruit types require cross-pollination with another variety to produce fruit. Even trees considered “self-pollinating” will be more productive if cross-pollinated with another variety. For the record, this year the Sustainable Family ordered three standard apple trees (three different cross-pollinating varieties) and a standard self-pollinating peach tree from The Arbor Day Foundation. These will get shipped as dormant bare-root trees in time for spring planting. There are several other online sources for fruit trees and most local nurseries sell fruit trees as well. The other benefit of a local nursery is that they tend to only stock varieties that will do well in your area, and have a lot of knowledge that they are more than willing to share.

One cautionary note, if you think you are going to save money by planting an apple seed and growing your own tree, don’t bother. Those big juicy apples you envision picking right in your backyard can only grow from grafted trees.