Why Not Grow Your Own Fruit?

Once, every household grew several fruit trees, but now suburban blocks are much smaller and so space is limited.

But the arrival of dwarf varieties and a disenchantment with the long storage times in the fruit supply chain to supermarkets, more people are returning to the idea of a fruit tree of their own.

Fruit trees can be divided broadly into two categories; citrus and deciduous.

Citrus trees are fairly space-conscious and are reasonably hardy. They will grow in a variety of soils, but don’t like wet feet, so if you have clay soil you might have to build it up to encourage the moisture to drain away.

Lemons, oranges, grapefruit, mandarin and kumquats all make delicious marmalades and are packed full of vitamins when eaten fresh. They last on the tree for ages too, so there is no problem with storage.

The main pests to attack citrus are aphids and shield beetles. If you notice a black coating like soot growing on the leaves of your citrus, it is sure to be caused by aphids. Spray the tree with white oil and the problem should clear up.

Shield beetles can be identified by their pungent smell. They are large beetles and can be green, brown or red with black markings, depending on the stage of their life cycle. They eat all the young leaves, severely retarding tree growth and fruiting, so spray as soon as you notice them.

Be careful not to get too close, though, as when disturbed they often squirt an acid stream that can cause painful injury. Rogor or Lebaycid are two systemic sprays that take good care of these pests.

Deciduous fruit trees are the apple, pear, and stone fruits. Because they are dormant in the winter, they can be grown in areas of severe frosts, though a late frost could damage the blossom.

All have glorious blossom and the leaves of many turn yellow, orange or scarlet in the fall. With the addition of delicious fresh fruit, what more could you want in a tree?

The fruit encourages birds to your garden too, and you might have to share the fruit with them. Otherwise, light netting is available by the roll. Four iron stakes joined over the top with poly-pipe makes a good support for the netting.

Fruit flies are the main pest to attack stone fruits like peaches, plums, apricots and nectarines. Two ways of controlling this pest are to spray the fruit regularly with Rogor or Lebaycid, or hang fruit fly baits in the tree. These attract and kill the male fly, so there are no grubs to burrow into the fruit and spoil it.

Apples and pears are attacked by the codling moth, which lays its eggs just under the skin of the immature fruit. When the grubs hatch they eat their way through the fruit leaving a brown tunnel. Carbaryl, Malathion or Lebaycid are the sprays to use for codling moth.

If you would love a fruit tree, but are short on space, dwarf apples are available in some areas. They have only one or two short stems, but are covered in normal size fruit.