How Many Fruit Trees Should I Plant?
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I want to plant peaches, pears, apples, plums, and apricots. We are a family of four and I want to make juice, preserves, and can/freeze/dry enough fruit to last us throughout the year. But I don’t want to waste a bunch of food either….I have five acres, so space is not a problem. How many of each tree do you think I should plant. We are planting dwarf trees that will grow to be 6-8 feet tall.
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Knowing where you live would help. You should research the varieties you plan on growing to see if they need a pollinator. Some trees are self pollinating. Plant as many as you are comfortable enough caring for as the more trees you have, the more pollination you will get from bees visiting. Don’t worry about wasting fruit – nature has a way of using every thing. You say dwarf trees? Research well to make sure. Remember, a “dwarf” tree is STILL a tree and some dwarfs get pretty big. What I said about your location is important since the varieties you list don’t usually grow well in the same zones. For instance, cherries and apples require a lot more winter “chilling” to give good fruit while peaches and plums require a lot less and will freeze easily in zones that apples and pears/cherries do well in. If your area does well with apples that require a lot of chilling, the apricots will frequently be bitten by late spring frosts/freezes as they bloom so early. Definetely get a book on the subject and read up on it before you spend a lot of money and effort.
hi,
I don’t know if I can answer your question or not – I know general rules about planting trees, but I haven’t had much experience with how much they produce. Oh well, I’ll tell you what I know – if you already know it, don’t bother reading.
I’d say you should definitely plant at least two of any tree you plant. Apart from some particular varieties which are self-pollinating (that would be marked on the tag at the nursery) all trees need a partner to cross pollinate. This should be the same kind of tree, but a different variety (you might plant a Fall Red apple and a Norland apple, but not two Norland apples). If they’re the same kind, they won’t produce nearly as much fruit as if they were different. If you want lots of fruit, it’s probably a good plan to look for trees that are known as heavy producers, and get a couple of those, and then one or two that are marked as good pollinators. Plant them within 50-60 feet of each other if you can.
Different varieties of trees produce different flavours of fruit, too – some are good for eating fresh, others fro baking, and some are good for preserving. Just keep an eye out for what you’d use.
At 5 acres, two of each sounds fair. Just keep in mind the horrific mess you will have from fallen fruit. Not to mention all the bees. Fallen fruit will attract about a gazillion bees, so choose your sites carefully.
You can also graft several different types of apples on the same tree. Look that up if you’re interested. And don’t forget grape vines if you’re into grapes. There’s nothing like a seedless concord warm from the sun picked on a Fall day. And they’re kind of like tomatoes in that “nothing beats home-grown” way. You can just can a handful of grapes in a mason jar with sugar and a few weeks later you have incredible grape juice!
Anyway, have fun!
P.S. Pears are really good too!
i dont have a specific answer as far as a number but i have to ask why are you planting dwarfs if you have plenty of room?remember you are going to want to eat fresh fruit as well.remember that some varieties require another one to ppollinate….also keeping that in mind you can plant several varieties and have the same fruit coming off at different times…an extended growing season.personally you might as well plant more than you think you need.so what if you waste it…..it wouldnt even exist if it wasnt for you and i would much rather have more than eneough than too little.you can always give it away if you have too much.—love seeing people being self sufficient….its a lost art.its better than being in a fema camp.good luck.
2 of each unless u have a self pollinating..pests are a big issue with fruit trees also many birds and bats will eat the fruit as well as small mammals like squirrels and raccoons
Give them at least 6 feet in between trees.
Try two of each.