Planting Fruit trees -- What Do I Need To Know? (lawn, grow)

[coolcats]

I'd like to plant some fruit trees in my yard, but would like to be aware of anything a newbie should know.

My preferred location is in a 3-foot wide mulched strip that the previous owners edged off with concrete edging. So at one side is the concrete edging, at the other end is the vinyl fence. On the other side of the fence is my neighbor's concrete driveway. So, If I planted some small trees (dwarf variety maybe?) would the proximity to the concrete edging, fence, and driveway cause problems? The whole strip is about a hundred feet long, so I have plenty of length to put it too good use -- if it is wide enough. Another consideration is this strip is on the south side of the lawn and remains shaded by the fence. So when the north winds blow in, it makes large drifts and due to the shade, the snow lingers there the longest.

Most of the rest of the yard is taken up with shade trees, playhouse, existing gardens. So I don't want to plant the trees in the middle of the remaining open space. Thoughts? I live in Salt Lake City -- A Zone 7.

[mamh]

Hi
Before you do a thing, take a drawing of your space for your tree's to the local ag office or master gardeners info desk..they can advise you on what kind of tree's will work if any in the amount of space you have...
Good luck

[unclejake21]

ummm your best bet would be to plant dwarfs. however some dwarfs will still get big. it also depends on what kind of fruits you plant.

[Nomadicus]

I'm not certain you have adequate room for root growth in just 3 feet of width even with dwarfs. Even dwarfs will over hang on the neighbors side of the fence. I don't mean to sound skeptical but rather cautious. Fruit trees are a major investment. Could you possibly do something like blueberries there and keep them trimmed off the fence? You may want to browse an online nursery catalog or two for ideas? HTH.

[edward.halloran]

to most people this would be an insurmountable problem,fortunately for you, I'm awesome.
try looking up cordons, espalier, and fans, assumeing you have good light you may have room for several trees
-edward

[SCGranny]

There are also several types of 'columnar' trees, particularly apples. They do not have a spreading habit.

Most trees' roots spread as far as the branches, so you will have to aggressively prune in 3 feet of space. Still, even dwarfs will eventally starve in that little bit of room... or grow under and around every conceivable barrier. You might want to consider that you will be eating the produce of these trees - that will be subject to runoff from the driveway.

Fruit trees hate wet feet. If your snow is wet snow, they will not love you - likewise if the rainwater settles there.