There’s nothing better than fresh fruit picked straight from your own garden but a lot of people find the idea of growing their own fruit quite intimidating. But it’s not as hard as people think and as long as you do a bit of research beforehand, there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy your own fresh fruit from the garden. If you don’t know where to start, this guide will tell you everything that you need to know about growing your own fruit.
Different Ways To Plant Fruit
There are a few different ways to plant your fruit. You can buy bare root fruit plants while they are dormant and lifeless. If you are planning your garden for spring, these are a good option because they can be planted early and they will grow in when the weather starts to improve. This is usually the cheapest way to buy fruit trees because you don’t get the soil or the container with them.
Balled and burlapped fruit trees come with a ball of roots wrapped in a burlap sack. These are usually bigger than bare root plants and easier to plant. You can get some great fruit trees from places like Poplar Nurseries from the Spring through the Autumn. They are easier to plant than a bare root plant and they will start producing fruit a lot quicker because they are already matured.
The easiest option, and one that you should consider if you have never grown fruit before, is container plants. You can buy them all year round in a range of sizes and they come already planted in a container, so they are easy to transfer over to your garden.
How To Plant Your Fruit
Once you have chosen a plant, it’s time to put it into your garden. When planting fruit trees, you should water them well immediately after planting and spread a thick layer of mulch over the top. This will help to keep them moist and prevent weed growth around the bottom.
New fruit trees are not particularly stable, especially if you are using bare root plants. They can easily fall over in strong winds, so you need to support them to start with. Put a stake into the ground and tie the tree to it for added stability. After the first year or two, you should remove the stake so the tree can grow a strong trunk and root system.
How To Prune Fruit Trees
All fruit trees need to be pruned and it’s best to do this in late Autumn, Winter or early Spring when they are dormant and don’t have any leaves. If there are any dead or diseased branches, these need to be cut off to stop the spread of disease. You should also remove any branches that rub against one another because this removes the bark and increases the risk of disease. When you are pruning, you should dip your shears into rubbing alcohol to sterilize them so you can reduce the risk of disease.
Each fruit has its own care needs so it’s important that you do your research before you plant them. However, if you follow these basic planting and care tips, you will be enjoying your own fresh fruit in no time.
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