There are many good reasons to grow fruits by yourself. For starters, you don’t have to go to the market to buy them; you always have to pay more for the good ones. Stores make you look at the prettiest ones but you can never be sure if they will taste as good as they look.
So why not grow it yourself in your backyard or garden? Growing food at home can be an adventure for sure. Isn’t it worth the effort since it will benefit you for a long time?
5 Fruits you can grow in your Backyard Garden
- Black grapes
- Apples
- Plums
- Strawberries
- Lemons
Black grapes
Imagine the pleasure of popping a freshly picked grape into your mouth, it’s warm and bursting with juice. You just cannot let this go and growing a grape vine is a must. Early spring is the best time to plant grapes. When you are planting, cut the obtainable root back to 5 inches. This will make the feeder roots grow near the shaft. The roots of a grapevine tend to grow deep, so well cultivated soil is important. Pruning is something to be careful off at planting time. Prune off all the stems except one and look for buds on the stem; cut the stem back to two buds and it’s good to go.
Train the vines to grow on a vertical fence. Supports need to be in place before you plant the vines. The buds along the stems will flower and give fruit. Pruning practices can be complicated but they don’t need to be. Every other season, train the growing stems on wires to give them space. But you will probably have to cut them to fit your space.
It may feel wrong to know how much you have to cut off, but grapes grow better because of it. Vines can overproduce grapes. But you need to minimize this because higher production means lower quality fruit. Thin away the flowers clusters which look deformed and cut the fruit clusters that developed poorly.
Sample a grape or two after regular intervals until they are ripe. Sampling will help you understand when the taste is at it’s prime.
Apples
This heavenly fruit is from the rose family; known for its sweet taste. Apple trees can be planted from seeds but it won’t produce fruit which is good for eating. If you want to eat a quality fruit; it is best to buy a bare fruit tree, which is already a grafted young tree. You can buy it from a local nursery, as they will stock trees well suited to your particular region.
This tree needs a full 6 hours of sunlight to grow strong and make healthy fruit. Select a location away from walls or buildings, as the roots of this tree will reach a length as far as of the branches. Now choose the best area of the yard which has proper soil drainage. Dig a hole of 0.3 m and fill it with water. If the water drains quickly, it should be fine for planting.
It’s time to plant the tree. Dig a hole twice the diameter of the roots and 3 feet deep. Put some loose soil back and loosen the walls so that roots can easily penetrate the soil. Spread the roots on the loose soil and be careful if they are not crowded in the hole. Start covering the roots with soil and make sure it surrounds them to remove air pockets. Press the soil down well.
Your Apple tree is all set to grow now. Care is needed to make it produce healthy fruit. After its maturity, prune it annually for better fruit quality.
Plums
These small delicious candy looking fruits are not just mouth watering but bring beauty to your garden. They are compact and often require less care than other fruit trees. Plum trees are widely adapted and are planted in groups because they require cross-pollination to produce fruit. Plum trees should be planted in well drained and moderately fertile soil. We need to avoid frosty areas as it will damage the trees. Use grafted trees and keep the graft union an inch above the soil line. Dig a hole a few inches deeper and wide enough to manage the spread of the roots. Set the trees on top of small heap of soil in the middle of the hole and press soil down to remove air pockets.
Space the standard trees 18 to 20 feet apart. Water the young trees heavily once a week during the growth period. Once it’s established and starts giving fruit, fertilize regularly all year to keep the fruit production.
Prune the trees every spring and summer season to avoid contamination. Usually, pruning is best in early spring for young trees and summer for established ones.
Strawberries
These small heart shaped beauties make the perfect refreshing snack. When planting strawberries, be sure to give attention to their depth and location. They need a lot of sunlight and rich soil for producing quality fruit. While planting, only bury the root and leave the growing bud above the ground. Water them every week and fertilize after the full growth. During summer, Berries will ripen about 25 to 28 days after the blossom. Enjoy this heavenly fruit year after year.
Lemons
Lastly, it’s the easiest luscious fruit tree to grow. They look beautiful and brings invigorating odor to your garden. Like others, this fruit also need a daily 7 hours of sunlight to grow. Buy a grafted lemon tree from your local nursery, dig a hole of about 1 foot and plant the grafted tree into the hole. Fill it up with a good quality potting mix and make sure it’s tamped down well. Water them every two weeks when the surface feels dry and you are good to go. They need less maintenance than others but a well drained soil is important. Use a good pest oil to keep them away from any pests or diseases and prune to maintain a good looking healthy tree.
Fruits are full of nutrients to boost our health, especially when they are fresh and grown in an organic garden. What could be fresher than fruits grown in your own backyard? Even if you don’t have a backyard, you could use containers or some other urban farming techniques to grow your own fruit trees.
Try growing these fruits in your backyard. You’ll love the fresh taste and flavor of fruits from your own fruit garden. It would surely make your backyard garden feel like heaven!
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Source: Nourish the Planet
