Planting fruit trees

[92saturnsl2]

Wife and I purchased our house earlier this year with 2 acres. No trees on the land except for one small corner; we'd like to add some. I like the idea of fruit trees, since you get a little something each year for the effort of maintaining them, and anything that helps feed 4 kids is most welcome.

I know nothing about fruit trees or the nuances that come with growing them (climate, bugs, disease, etc.) We live in northern KY, our climate is fairly mild, about equivalent to St. Louis or other mid-south areas. Gets in the 90's plenty during the summer with high(er) humidity most days, and in winter can drop as low as the single digits, though that only happens once every couple/few years. Soil is very well drained here, lots of underground caverns/channels through limestone that help carry water away. But I wouldn't consider it dry, we get plenty of moisture most years.

I've talked to some friends/family and peaches and apricots were suggested, as were apples. Lower the maintenance, the better in my opinion, but I'm not opposed to doing a little work if it helps save $ on the grocery bill. Any suggestions for fairly hardy, easy to grow trees that would be good in this climate? The area I intend to plant them has a couple maples and what I assume are oak trees already on it. I assume I can plant the fruit trees on the sides of the existing trees (where there'll have decent sun), or is it better to segregate them? Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[atikovi]

Seems like a lot of work for something you can find at the grocery store fairly cheap. And with the narrow picking season, are you really going to force feed yourself peaches and apricots when they ripen? That will get old pretty quick and they are not the healthiest things to eat what with all the carbs and sugar. With that said, maybe add to the list pears, cherries, chestnuts.

 

[MParr]

Peach trees require a lot of maintenance. I would say no to peach trees. We cut ours down. They weren’t worth the time, effort or cost of maintaining. Pear trees, plum trees and apple trees would serve you well.

 

[doitmyself]

Goodness, where to begin? Unfortunately, the University of Kentucky extension program for fruit is not the best, probably because it is not a big commodity for the state. I always recommend starting there to get local oriented advice, so inquire with your local extension agent.

Here's a start: http://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/ho/ho104/ho104.pdf ...and https://www2.ca.uky.edu/agcomm/pubs/id/id21/id21.pdf

Definitely choose varieties that have been developed for insect and disease resistance to lessen pesticide applications.

 

[Malo83]

Lowes and Home Depot will have fruit trees for your region, also check with your local Nursery. 2 acres .

 

[oggb]

We have peach and apple trees. I'd have to use too many chemicals to stave off tent worms, beetles, and the rest of the bugs that eat virtually every viable piece of fruit AND shoot all of the deer that eat all of the low hanging fruit.

Too fussy. Bag of organic apples is cheap.

 

[Gyro Gearloose]

I had a peach tree for several years and it was basically a peach worm incubator. I wasn't willing to spray every week and never got an edible peach off of it before the bugs finally ate the tree itself. Apples, depending on variety may grow for you but don't expect the glossy perfect apples from the store. Without the commercial spraying they will be blotched and have mold and mildew stains and bug marks, but can still taste quite good. Pears are an autopilot tree . Plant, water, harvest. Again they aren't the perfect looking fruit from the store, but still tasty. Squirrels love them too unfortunately.

Plant far far away from existing trees. Oak and maples are both trees that suck as much moisture and as many nutrients from the ground as they possibly can. The roots and zone of influence will extend well beyond the drip line of the leaves for big trees.

You will be doing this for fun. It's not going to be the money saver that changing your own oil is.

 

[doitmyself]

You will be doing this for fun. It's not going to be the money saver that changing your own oil is.

Yea, I calculate that the brown and blue eggs we gather cost me at least $10 a dozen, lol.

 

[92saturnsl2]

The yard needs more trees and some shade is the only impetus for doing this, it's not like I expect it to remove fruit from my grocery bill. I figured rather than just plant a regular tree which just drops leaves every fall to clean up, a fruit tree would at least provide an additional benefit.

Appreciate the input from the folks who have/had fruit trees, very helpful.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Fruit trees are alot of fun and are beautiful and fragrant when they're in full bloom.

 

[ecotourist]

You might look into dwarf (or at least small) fruit trees as well. Having to pick fruit from a tall ladder would get old really fast. I fell off a step ladder while pruning an apple tree. I ended up hanging off the tree and the ladder got bent a little. But it could have been far worse.

You'll need to take a pruning course too. I was taught to prune by an apple orchardist. It's not that hard but you have to know what you're doing. One bad round of pruning and you'll set back or destroy the future fruiting capability.

I don't think fruit trees are going to be your answer for shade. For shade you'll want tall trees. For fruit you'll want short trees.

 

[clinebarger]

I've never had luck with fruit bearing trees & the insects they attract is insane. I do have a mature Pecan tree (80-90 years old) & let my Hispanic neighbors harvest the pecans....They shell/roast them & I eat all I can stand plus they make some of the best Pecan Pie I've ever ate.

The fastest growing shade tree is a Fruitless Mullberry, I have one that's 45 years old & has a 60 foot canopy, While it's messy in the Fall & Spring along with requiring HEAVY semi-annual pruning.....It's the best tree for long hot Texas summers.

 

[PandaBear]

Not the same climate as yours, my parents yard (San Francisco has micro climate / different climate on different side of the mountain) has pears, apples, and plums. The apples and pears grew ok, but you are expecting 1/2 of them not prime grade and you need to basically trim off a lot of fruits per branches so they can focus growing the remaining ones. I have loquats in my yard and they grow well, but our pears didn't.

If you want to save money by growing stuff, I'd suggest tomatoes and something low sugar like zucchini, etc. Basically things that you can eat every night instead of having a harvest season of 50-100 lbs all ripen and rotten at the same time. Growing a bunch of stuff you cannot eat and have to spray every week is no fun. Vegetables with few pests are the way to go.

 

[awguy]

Will avocados grow in your area? They’re a very nutritious and healthy fat.

 

[GrtArtiste]

If you must have fruit trees, apples probably your best bet. But even under ideal circumstances, might be 3-6 years before new trees have a usable harvest. If feeding the family is a concern, you'd get more results faster with a vegetable garden and possibly some strawberries.

 

[MParr]

We have peach and apple trees. I'd have to use too many chemicals to stave off tent worms, beetles, and the rest of the bugs that eat virtually every viable piece of fruit AND shoot all of the deer that eat all of the low hanging fruit.

Too fussy. Bag of organic apples is cheap.

Yes, fruit trees are very labor intensive and require quiet a bit of chemicals. Our Fuyu Persimmon bears quite well with little maintenance but, the deer love them. Our two pomegranate trees are starting to do well and are low maintenance. Our plum trees did well this year however, they must be sprayed to prevent the plum curculio beetle. Our blueberry bushes did well with little maintenance. We will be planting more. The pear tree is the most maintenance free tree that we have. We will be planting a couple of more. We can our pears in light syrup and enjoy year round.
I’ll add that nut trees should be considered. Pecans, hickory and chestnut trees should be considered. We have one very old Elliot Pecan that gives us a lot of nuts. There are also several native Pecan trees around the yard. Those are squirrel feeders.
If you want a fast growing shade tree, I will suggest a Tulip Poplar.

 

[dlundblad]

Wife and I purchased our house earlier this year with 2 acres. No trees on the land except for one small corner; we'd like to add some. I like the idea of fruit trees, since you get a little something each year for the effort of maintaining them, and anything that helps feed 4 kids is most welcome.

I know nothing about fruit trees or the nuances that come with growing them (climate, bugs, disease, etc.) We live in northern KY, our climate is fairly mild, about equivalent to St. Louis or other mid-south areas. Gets in the 90's plenty during the summer with high(er) humidity most days, and in winter can drop as low as the single digits, though that only happens once every couple/few years. Soil is very well drained here, lots of underground caverns/channels through limestone that help carry water away. But I wouldn't consider it dry, we get plenty of moisture most years.

I've talked to some friends/family and peaches and apricots were suggested, as were apples. Lower the maintenance, the better in my opinion, but I'm not opposed to doing a little work if it helps save $ on the grocery bill. Any suggestions for fairly hardy, easy to grow trees that would be good in this climate? The area I intend to plant them has a couple maples and what I assume are oak trees already on it. I assume I can plant the fruit trees on the sides of the existing trees (where there'll have decent sun), or is it better to segregate them? Thanks in advance for any input.

We did apple, cherry, peach and pear. 2 of each. Not sure why, but one of the pear trees looks half dead, but has new growth on it. I have not sprayed or fertilized anythyet and my apple trees are doing the best.

I suggest you get something that is zone 5 hardy. You’ll be fine.

Also make sure the area drains well.

 

[dlundblad]

I should have mentioned I planted a few raspberry and a rhubarb plant this year too. You aren’t going to feed the family on it, but they’re producing now with little to no effort on my end.

I do agree with a vegetable garden, but they are a lot of work.

 

[tom slick]

Figure out what USDA zone you are in and it will go a long way toward answering your questions.

2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map | USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

planthardiness.ars.usda.gov

Invest in good loppers and learn how to prune correctly. It is especially important for fruit trees from the day you plant them.

 

[Snagglefoot]

You are in one zone 6 or 7, perfect for fruit trees. Apples are the most reliable I think. Their blossoms in the spring will be really special. They need some pruning each year, and it you can stand a small amount of insect damage you don’t have to get involved with chemicals. (YRMV).