Let's Talk About Fruit...Trees, Plants, And Bushes (flower, landscape, growing)

[ylisa7]

I am fairly confident with my veggie garden now I would like to expand and grow some fruits.

My goal is to have a mini orchard with dwarf or semi dwarf trees. Apple, peaches, plums, pears, and cherries. After doing more research and with your advice I may cut back.


I would also like to have a row of about 6-10 blueberry bushes and also a strawberry bed.



So....I need all the help and advice I can get


For the trees...can I plant them directly into the lawn? Or do I need to till the area and plant that way? What about amending the soil?


I am going to a fruit class next week and I will ask a ton of questions but I would also appreciate your input

[J&Em]

Lisa judging by some of the advice given in this forum previously I would wait until after your class to ask questions. Growing conditions in East TN have some characteristics that make it ideal for some things and more difficult for others and frequently different from other regions. A class given by a local authority will be taking into account the special problems being in the mountains might present as well, like the correct variety of blueberry as an example. Down here all varieties of blueberries, cherries, raspberries and strawberries do really well, judging by neighbors gardens and local farms specializing in fruit but conditions may vary once you get higher into the mountains and favor one type or variety.

A really excellent source for information on how, where and what to plant is the UT extension publications. You can look up general fruit tree and bush publications as well as info on strawberries. There are also publications on pests and diseases prevalent in TN that you need to know about.

The following is one example for blueberries: https://utextension.tennessee.edu/pu...ts/SP284-D.pdf

[cittic10]

Fruit trees are a p.i.t.b.

For trees, you don't need to til per se but you should dig your planting hole about 3 times the width of the soil/root ball. This has the effect of tilling but you don't need to do it over an expansive area.

[Submariner]

Talk to a local Master Gardener.

I have done fine here, by planting fruit trees in holes twice as big as the root-ball.

In my area, our local tree nursery recommends forming a layer-cake of amendments:
5 lbs gypsum or Hi-Cal lime;
5 lbs colloidal phosphate (short-term calcium and phosphorus);
5 lbs azomite (long-term minerals and trace minerals);
5 lbs granite meal or greensand (for improved soil texture);
2-3 lbs menafee humates (aids mineral and rock-powder breakdown).

All laid down in the bottom of the hole, in layers, before you place the tree in it.

Our soil is mostly wet. Most years the water-table is about a foot below grade. But some years we get a lot of rain so the soils gets saturated. So when I plant trees I make a raised-bed about 3foot by 3foot and 8 inches high. So the root-ball is about level with grade. This keeps it from becoming too wet.

Every year I like to add 3 or 4 inches of manure.

[cittic10]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

Every year I like to add 3 or 4 inches of manure.

To fruit trees? What for?

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by cittic10

To fruit trees? What for?

We plant veggies in the 6 - 8 foot surrounding each of our trees. This builds up the health of the soil.

Granted trees themselves are thought of as 'deep' mining for their minerals, and are not big users of nitrogen.

Often you see wood chip mulch piled up around trees. However too much wood chips causes a carbon-lockup. Woodchips need manure thrown on to help the bacteria break it down, unless you are looking at doing it with fungi.

I know folks who do seed fungi spore in their woodchips, for that purpose. You can.

[kinkytoes]

Here's the advice based on the past couple of years in my area:

1. Peach borers are a pain. My peaches were happy in their containers, but once I put the ladies in the ground, borers attacked them. Waah. Before you plant peaches, learn about borers.

2. Raspberries taste better than blackberries. That's my opinion.

3. Buy disease-resistant apple trees. Apparently apples are like hollyhocks...prone to rusts/fungi that are unfortunatley widespread on the our coast. Apparently "Liberty" is a new disease-resistant variety. If you buy a "normal" apple tree, you may need to spray yearly.

4. Buy big blueberries. I bought some "tiny" ones, and the rabbit attacked em. You may have better luck against critters with more mature plants. I "Had to have" the new pink lemonade blueberry, so I bought small plants online. Mistake. It looks like they're recovering, though. Darned rabbit. I think blueberries are awesome...trouble-free and beautiful.

5. Bagging fruits appears to work. Squirrels and groundhogs and other assorted creatures may eat your apples, pears or peaches before you can taste them. One year, all my Asian pears "disappeared" from the tree. *sobs* I recommend bagging, which is a Japanese practise. I guess animals are dumber than I thought.

Bagging can protect fruit from insect pests including stinkbugs, too. Another option is to put something around the base of the tree to discourage critters from climbing it. I haven't tried that, though.

6. Learn about pruning. I am attempting to prune my fruit trees to enable Ez pickin' without using ladders. There is a lot of information about the types of pruning for specific trees, so I'd recommend learning about the types of pruning, tools etc.

7. Other non-traditional "fruits" I would recommend:
a. Flowering Quinces. Prolific and flower in early spring. They're pretty, but ensure you get a fruiting variety.

b. Pawpaws - I got tiny pawpaws LOL so it may be a few more years before I get fruit, but I've tasted preserves and it is like tropical fruit from my country (soursop). Plus the leaves are "tropical-looking" and it is part of our shared Native American heritage.

c. Cherries - Enjoy good drainage, but I love em because they're so simple to grow. Cherries are yummy! I enjoy sour cherries the most. Also, I believe cherry wood is valuable, so if you can plant a lot of healthy cherries on the property...

d. Elderberries - IMO the fruit actually tastes gross by itself, but you can make jam or wine, and the "canadense" is native. I'd get the larger-fruited native cultivars (Adams? etc).

e. Serviceberries - These are native to the US, AND flower somewhat early in Spring. You can eat the blueberry-like fruits, and the trees have lovely Autumn foliage.

f. Figs - My personal opinion, but these are one of God's most delicious fruits. To my knowledge, there are hardier cultivars than the turkey fig that's usually hanging on by a thread in my zone.

g. Persimmon - I got native persimmon trees, and they are DEER-candy . I really planted them simply because I believe in planting native trees. But for eatin' I REALLY am dying for Asian persimmons. They're delicious, but pretty expensive in stores.

h. Nuts? Yes I am. Kidding...but maybe you can consider nut trees while you're planning the orchard? Nut bushes can be food for our native turkeys, and a lot of nut trees and shrubs are yummy and ornamental. I have native filberts and am planting chinkapin's as well, but I would love pecans and chestnuts.

I could go on and on about fruit trees...but I am going to stop.

[cittic10]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

We plant veggies in the 6 - 8 foot surrounding each of our trees. This builds up the health of the soil.

Granted trees themselves are thought of as 'deep' mining for their minerals, and are not big users of nitrogen.

Often you see wood chip mulch piled up around trees. However too much wood chips causes a carbon-lockup. Woodchips need manure thrown on to help the bacteria break it down, unless you are looking at doing it with fungi.

I know folks who do seed fungi spore in their woodchips, for that purpose. You can.

You don't see the potential risk of harming the trees by gardening in their root zone, providing nitrogen and heat that they don't need?

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by cittic10

You don't see the potential risk of harming the trees by gardening in their root zone, providing nitrogen and heat that they don't need?

Mmm, no.

Our gardening is mostly no-till.

Life in the soil is good. Worms and bugs are good for soil.

[SCGranny]

My area is different, and so requires different amendments and approaches for trees (or even vegetables)of any type.
The soil is sandy - extremely so - and does not hold water. Fungi and boring bugs are practically unheard of; it is very dry and windy here, with bitter cold and blizzard-packed winters.

Planting requires serious prep. First, the soil is tilled, in strips or rows. Then rotted compost and manure are tilled into those rows. Then landscape cloth is laid in strips abt 2 feet wide. The landscape cloth is cut in an "X" wide enough to dig the hole for the root ball, a layer of hay is placed in the hole, and the tree is planted in the hole, spreading out the root ball as much as possible. The "X" is closed over the hole. Trees are planted about 8-10 feet apart in the rows. Hay or mulch is spread over the landscape fabric up to (but not up against) the tree. Young trees are watered daily, for about two hours a day if you use a sprinkler or a drip system, in the morning.

These practices retain water around the roots (otherwise it drains through too rapidly to be absorbed). The hay and landscape cloth insulate the roots and surrounding areas from sudden cold, and also help keep the trees from bending over or even being uprooted in the high winds. Older trees get 'staked out' for support.