Can you plant different fruit trees next to each other
Should I plant fruit trees in related groups or intermix
Peach and apricot can be grafted on each other and most likely they are on the same rootstock.
They also pretty much share the exact same set of virus/fungal infections and bug/borer/etc infection.
So pretty much intermix them.
Half an acre at 15ft centers can fit 90 fruit trees.
22 Peach
22 Apricot
46 berry plants that are shorter than 15ft, closer to 5ft is better
Berry plants like
Juneberry, Currants, Jostaberry, Gooseberry, Aronia, Blueberry, etc
I recommend the shorter berries between the taller Peach/Plum so that there is enough airflow and not too much sunlight/root competition.
You soil prep sounds good so far. For soil prep I like the following
Earthworks = Swales/Berms/Irrigation pipes
Carbon = Woodchip, Straw, BioChar, Compost
Soil Life = Mushroom Slurries, Worm Tea, Compost, Forest Soil
Mineral = Rockdust, Compost, Sea90, etc
I think that cover crops are also needed and you can harvest and sell your covercrop as vegetables or hay/pasture. In your case as vegetables.
I like a 90% legume
and the rest being onion family, dill/carrot family and thyme/mint f
We moved to our new house two years ago now and it’s been a learning encounter as I try to figure out the new challenges that come with a new property. For example, we have started a small fruit orchard started here and last year they struggled a ton.
First, we had to deal with the question of deer eating the fruit trees. Our current strategy is using fishing line staked around the trees and that has been working wonderfully so far (fingers crossed it continues to work!). You can find details on my best deer preventative methods in this post.
Our next challenge in the fruit orchard was figuring out why the trees weren’t growing. They weren’t dying but they also weren’t growing. One of the reasons the fruit trees weren’t growing, I believe, is because I allowed grass to grow next to the trees. From the research I’ve been doing lately, it turns out that grass can steal nutrients from fruit trees.
So we contain spent the last month putting down cardboard and a plump thick layer of mulch around all the fruit trees. Hopefully that keeps the weeds and grasses from harming my fruit trees this year!
Pondering Perma A Simple Guide to Fruit Tree Companion Plants
Cherry tree
We know basil and tomatoes taste great together, and they grow well together in the garden. We know corn, beans, and squash are great garden companions. But vegetables and herbs aren’t the only ones that make good companions in the garden. Fruit trees enjoy good neighbors, too. And if you plant fruit trees (or want to), you may want to know a little about fruit tree companion plants.
Like vegetables, fruit trees are susceptible to several pests and diseases. And while some are self-pollinating, others need the help of birds, bees, and insects to bear fruit.
Fruit tree companion plants can help deter pests, ward off disease, and attract pollinators, just like they do for vegetables. Wondering what to plant and what goes with what? Here are 18 popular fruit trees and the companion plants that help them thrive.
The ultimate list of fruit tree companion plants
One thing to point out about fruit tree companion plants is that the goal is to create an ecosystem that’s rich in life. This, by the way, is known as a guild. So you may see references to an apple tree guild or a peach tree guild. This is just the
SERIES 32 | Episode 19
Many fruit and nut trees like apples, pears, and almonds need a partner planted nearby for pollination. The more compatible trees you have in an area, the more pollinators you're enticing in, and the more pollen you have, so, therefore, a bigger crop.
Self-fertile varieties will produce all by themselves. But even they benefit from having a mate around. Here at the patch, space really isn't an issue, but in a smaller garden, getting two or more trees in can be a bit tricky. But one way around this is by duo planting or putting two trees in the one hole!
When duo-planting, it's best to select two plants that are roughly the same size to prevent competition.
Preparing the hole
When digging a hole, make sure it's not only deep enough, but also wide enough. you need to make it wide enough to cope with both root zones.
Positioning the trees
When you're planting, consider the shape. If both these trees have a flat side, place these sides together in the hole. Remember that the trunks need to be no closer than 15 centimetres apart.
A good tip is to angle the trunks out. It gives them a nice form and stops them from growing into
Pollination of apple trees and other fruit trees
Pollination is an important topic when growing fruit trees because many - but certainly not all - varieties require pollination from a compatible donor tree before they can set fruit. However it is a natural process that almost always "just works". Here are some basic principles:
- If you are in an urban environment you probably won't need to worry about a pollination partner for your apple tree - there will usually be compatible apple trees or crab apple trees in neighbouring gardens and hedgerows. Pears, plums, and cherries are less widely-planted though, and you can't assume there will be others nearby, but try asking around.
- For varieties which are not self-fertile, and require a pollination partner, the partner has to be a different variety of the same fruit species. Two trees of the same variety will not pollinate each other.
- If you are in an isolated area and only want to plant one tree, choose a self-fertile variety.
- If in doubt, and you have space for more than one tree of the same species (e.g. two apple trees or two plum trees), plant two different but compatible varieties. (If doing so, it i
A Simple Guide to Fruit Tree Companion Plants
Cherry tree
We know basil and tomatoes taste great together, and they grow well together in the garden. We know corn, beans, and squash are great garden companions. But vegetables and herbs aren’t the only ones that make good companions in the garden. Fruit trees enjoy good neighbors, too. And if you plant fruit trees (or want to), you may want to know a little about fruit tree companion plants.
Like vegetables, fruit trees are susceptible to several pests and diseases. And while some are self-pollinating, others need the help of birds, bees, and insects to bear fruit.
Fruit tree companion plants can help deter pests, ward off disease, and attract pollinators, just like they do for vegetables. Wondering what to plant and what goes with what? Here are 18 popular fruit trees and the companion plants that help them thrive.
The ultimate list of fruit tree companion plants
One thing to point out about fruit tree companion plants is that the goal is to create an ecosystem that’s rich in life. This, by the way, is known as a guild. So you may see references to an apple tree guild or a peach tree guild. This is just the
SERIES 32 | Episode 19
Many fruit and nut trees like apples, pears, and almonds need a partner planted nearby for pollination. The more compatible trees you have in an area, the more pollinators you're enticing in, and the more pollen you have, so, therefore, a bigger crop.
Self-fertile varieties will produce all by themselves. But even they benefit from having a mate around. Here at the patch, space really isn't an issue, but in a smaller garden, getting two or more trees in can be a bit tricky. But one way around this is by duo planting or putting two trees in the one hole!
When duo-planting, it's best to select two plants that are roughly the same size to prevent competition.
Preparing the hole
When digging a hole, make sure it's not only deep enough, but also wide enough. you need to make it wide enough to cope with both root zones.
Positioning the trees
When you're planting, consider the shape. If both these trees have a flat side, place these sides together in the hole. Remember that the trunks need to be no closer than 15 centimetres apart.
A good tip is to angle the trunks out. It gives them a nice form and stops them from growing into
Pollination of apple trees and other fruit trees
Pollination is an important topic when growing fruit trees because many - but certainly not all - varieties require pollination from a compatible donor tree before they can set fruit. However it is a natural process that almost always "just works". Here are some basic principles:
- If you are in an urban environment you probably won't need to worry about a pollination partner for your apple tree - there will usually be compatible apple trees or crab apple trees in neighbouring gardens and hedgerows. Pears, plums, and cherries are less widely-planted though, and you can't assume there will be others nearby, but try asking around.
- For varieties which are not self-fertile, and require a pollination partner, the partner has to be a different variety of the same fruit species. Two trees of the same variety will not pollinate each other.
- If you are in an isolated area and only want to plant one tree, choose a self-fertile variety.
- If in doubt, and you have space for more than one tree of the same species (e.g. two apple trees or two plum trees), plant two different but compatible varieties. (If doing so, it i