Would it not be wonderful to just grab a fresh juicy peach or a handful of strawberries from your own backyard? Below is the article, you will find a list of the best fruits to grow in your fruit garden even if you have limited space.
However, before you plant, give some thought to where you want your fruit plant to be. Fruit trees or shrubs will be around for many years. Make sure that you can provide the following :
1. Well-draining soil: Roots that sit for days in soggy soil will rot.
2. Air circulation: Most fruit diseases are caused by some type of fungus and damp leaves that are an invitation for the fungus to take hold.
3. Full sun: Fruit trees and shrubs need a lot of sunshine and warmth to grow flowers and develop sweet fruits.
4. Protection from cold winds and late frosts: Even if your fruit variety is frost hardy, winds can kill their tender buds, resulting in no fruit for the season. The same happens when the buds are hit by a late spring frost. Even if you cannot control the weather, planting your fruits in a sheltered location will help enormously.
• Growing blueberries
Berries are very easy to grow. They are attractive three-season shrubs with pretty white spring flowers, summer fruit, and gorgeous red, fall foliage. Growing blueberries requires some advance work in order to ensure that the soil is acidic enough, however, rest assured as the shrubs will live and produce for years. You can also grow blueberries in containers. If you live in a cold environment, opt for highbush blueberries such as blue crop, as for gardeners in mild climates should opt for either rabbiteye or southern highbush varieties.
• Growing Strawberries
The joy of tasting a freshly picked strawberry is totally worth the minimal effort that one should take to grow them. You have three types of strawberries :
• June bearing: these are the ones which grow largely in the month of June. They are the perfect choice for preserving and freezing.
• Everbearing: these plants produce two to three harvests per season.
• Day-neutral: You will continually get a small number of strawberries throughout the whole season.
Even though strawberries are not hard to grow, the plants do not last forever. You should replace or rejuvenate them every three to five years.
- Growing Raspberries and Blackberries
These two have always been backyard favorites but the older varieties can be rambunctious plants that keep on spreading everywhere and are covered with thorns which can make harvesting a painful chore. The newer cultivars have fewer thorns and are pretty much well behaved. However, these plants need annual pruning in order for them to stay productive but that is really quick work. Choosing a mid and late season will extend your harvest for weeks.
- Growing grapes
Growing a grapevine is not hard but the only nuisance is that you will have a hard time to save your fruits from birds and other animals when harvest time is near. Grapes also need some type of trellis or support on which they will flourish. You can get a lot of good suggestions on how to prune them properly. You can choose whether you want them for fresh eating or winemaking.
- Growing Apples
Everyone wants an apple tree in their fruit garden but not only they are difficult to grow, but apple trees are also victims of many insects and disease problems. They require a lot of pruning sessions. However, if you are up for some hard work, there are some newer cultivars that are available. They are less susceptible. You can choose a dwarf tree which you can take care of easily. No matter what, apple trees are very beautiful and worth investing your time and effort in.
- Growing cherries
Cherries are considered to be one of the easiest fruit to grow and care for. They require very minimal pruning and are rarely prone to any pests or disease. Sweet cherries will require cross-pollination unless you buy one with 2 different varieties grafted on it. However, if you are growing sour baking cherries, you will need only one tree.
- Growing peaches
Peach trees are small enough to fit in any size backyard. You can smell the sweet taste of the peaches when they are harvesting. You will need to do some pruning in order to keep the branches productive and reachable and a bit of thinning the young fruits in order to get a smaller crop of large pieces rather than a heavy crop of tiny peaches.
Growing melons
If you are not ready to commit to a tree or a shrub, you can grow delicious melons in containers or your garden. They just need a lot of sun and heat along with a lot of space.
