Fruits for the Small Fruit Orchard

 backyard design  2 Responses »
May 072009
 

Fruit trees add to any garden area and a mini small fruit orchard is easy to set up in a backyard or in containers if you live in the city or rent.

Photo of Peach
Creative Commons License photo credit: foodistablog

With a little planning on fruit varieties that you want, you will be able to raise fresh non-chemical produce for your family. And by adding other soft fruits like strawberries and melons you will have a great supply of fresh fruit for any occasion.

Here are two you tube videos on small fruit orchards.

One shows growing a small fruit orchard in your backyard. This garden is set up in a city and set up in a raised bed. You could also grow the fruit trees in containers for the patio or balcony garden.

One point mentioned is that sometimes you have to wait a year or two for the fruit to produce.

What I do during this waiting time is add leafy vegetables around the trees or in the containers for color and to make use of the space.

The next video shows how to grow blueberries.

Blueberries add to any mini orchard and are easy to grow. You will need at least two varieties of blueberries for cross-pollination so a larger patio or balcony will be needed or a backyard for the blueberry plants.

This you tube shows planting a blueberry plant in a container. What I like about this your tube is that they really showed mixing up a great soil that will keep the plant healthy and producing for years.

I have 6 blueberry plants that I planted in a circular garden form near the patio and added other small fruit in this area. Vine peach on a trellis, rhubarb in a few groupings, kiwi fruit and raspberries all grow here. I added a few herbs and edible flowers for color and as other crops to harvest.

I also added a bench and a water fountain to this area to create a wonderful place to read or relax in my backyard oasis.

A small fruit orchard can add to the beauty and value of your home  and with the new varieties of small growing trees you can grow almost any fruit that will grow in your climate.

Posted by Denise at 9:25 pm  Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Backyard Landscaping Ideas

 guest writer  1 Response »
May 072009
 
by Dr Adel Waters

A good backyard landscaping idea is one that everyone can make use of. There are many different backyard landscaping ideas and most of them are pretty good but to find the one that is right for you and that is just what your yard needs may take some reading. This article will help you to find the perfect backyard landscaping idea for your home. Saint Anne guardshouse
Creative Commons License photo credit: magnusfranklin

A good backyard landscaping idea is to use evergreens. The use of these fabulous trees will do o much for any yard. They will add a stately nature to the feel of your home while keeping it welcoming and warm. Many people like to use deciduous trees in the yard and this is always a good idea but it is the evergreens that will give the yard the structure and the stability that it needs for a good backyard landscaping idea and design.

You need to look for a backyard landscaping idea like the one above that will benefit you all year round. Deciduous trees will not be gorgeous in all seasons, most perhaps, but not all. Evergreens on the other hand are always fantastic and they look as beautiful in the winter as they do in the summer and this is why they make for such a great backyard landscaping idea. The key to any great landscaping design is to find a backyard landscaping idea like this that will keep your yard interesting no matter what time of the year it is.

Another good backyard landscaping idea is to use hardscape. This is the use of things like rocks, fences and walls. These can make your yard look very interesting during all of the seasons. You can have climbing plants on it in the summer and spring and pretty trees around it that will look great in the winter. When looking for a good backyard landscaping idea you need to look for other options besides just plants. There is much more to landscaping than just plants and trees. New limestone steps
Creative Commons License photo credit: greenbroke

Walls and fences can frame your property beautifully and using them is such a great backyard landscaping idea because they will just accent all of your other wonderful backyard landscaping ideas. They will frame your yard as a picture frame frames a gorgeous painting. Look at this kind of backyard landscaping idea as well in your search for the one.

Your backyard landscaping is going to have to be about many different things but the most important one of these if your well being. Most people get into backyard landscaping because they want to change the look and feel of their home, they want to make it a wonderful place where their family can feel safe and comfortable at all times. Backyard landscaping is a great way to add some more peace to your life whether you are alone or you have a large family and tons of kids. You will be able to create a sanctuary with your backyard landscaping that you have never had before in your life.

Backyard landscaping does not have to be drastic or hard. You can do your own backyard landscaping or you can hire a contractor to do it all for you. The choice is yours but doing it yourself can be a lot of work, especially if you do not have any experience in this type of thing. There are all kinds of things that you will need to learn about before you start doing your own backyard landscaping. You will have to take a crash course in landscaping and this course will be jammed packed with all kinds of info that you never even knew was out there. You may be able to save some money on the work if you do your won backyard landscaping but if you screw things up too badly you may end up paying even more to get everything fixed.

If you want to get some backyard landscaping done you should only do it yourself if it is going to be a simple and straightforward job. If you need irrigation things dealt with and planes and elevations leave it to the professionals that do it for a living. These things may be over your head entirely. You need to watch out how you go about your backyard landscaping or you could end up with quite a mess on your hands.

There are a couple of great places for you to learn some more about backyard landscaping such as the local public library and the internet. You can get many backyard landscaping books out of the library and these will help you to make the best decisions as to your landscaping needs. You can also get many do it yourself tips online.

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Posted by Dr Adel Waters at 7:23 am  Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , ,

Small Fruit Orchard: Part Two

 Backyard Garden  No Responses »
May 062009
 

Growing you own fruit in the backyard or on the patio or balcony adds color and atmosphere to your home. It also supplies fresh fruit that you have control over how many chemicals, if any were used when growing the fruit. With the recent toxin scares this is an important factor. blueberriesBlueberry babies
Creative Commons License photo credit: Jennie Faber

After you have decided what fruit to grow, your lighting and space is appropriate and you have selected the best container for the plant it’s time to make sure your fruit grow well and produces quality crops.

Soil for fruit containers

Most fruit prefer a nutrient-rich growing medium. Check the growing instructions that came with your plants and adjust the soil accordingly. When setting up your containers place small rocks or pebbles in the bottom of the container to help ensure proper drainage.

The top two or 3 inches of potting soil in the container should be removed each spring and replaced with fresh compost. This keeps the soil fresh and adds more nutrients to your fruit.

You may want to repot you fruit plants every two or three years. This should be done in the winter when the fruit is dormant. Repot the plant up one container size if necessary. You can tell by the rootball if this would be a good idea. (One size in a container is usually about 1 1/2 to two inches.)

Extra nutrition for your Small Space Fruit Orchard

You will need to feed and add nutrients to your small fruit orchard plants. Fruit grown in pots will need to be fed and watered more often than plants grown in the ground. And remember that container fruit produces less than a plant grown in the ground, but you will still get a nice crop.

Feed the plants a high potassium fertilizer (like pot ash) when the fruit starts to develop. In late summer you will want to switch to a fertilizer high in nitrogen. I like to use a weak tea on the container fruit about once a month for a quick pick me up for the plant.

If you are growing citrus fruits, feed them a high-nitrogen fertilizer starting in the spring and through to midsummer. Midsummer you will want to switch to a balanced fertilizer until fall arrives.

How much fertilizer you use will depend on the type of fruit you are growing. Check the growing instructions that came with the plant or ask questions at the local nursery. Too much fertilizer can create problems so use care and ask questions if you are not sure.

Watering

Keep the top compost moist, but not wet during the active growing season. This may require watering plants multiple times daily to prevent the growing medium from drying out. I have found that during the hottest days in summer the container plants will benefit from mulch on top of the compost to help retain moisture in the container.

Lighting for your small orchard

Your fruit will benefit from being placed outdoors during the summer months. This may be a patio or balcony if you live in a town. They should be outside in a warm, sheltered location with plenty of sun. Depending on the fruit, plants will need to be brought indoors and protected from cold in the winter.

The plants and fruit will benefit if you turn the plant container once a week. They will grow taller and the fruit will get equal sunlight.

If your planting containers are large it will best to have the planters on wheels or a plant carrier. Moving the plants will be fast and easy this way. As you move your fruit planters check for insects and any dead leaves.

And most important, enjoy your small fruit garden. The plants will provide you with beauty and fresh fruit for years to come. For more information on selecting the right container for your fruit orchard check out Small Fruit Orchard: Part One

Posted by Denise at 7:38 pm  Tagged with: , , , ,

Small Fruit Orchard: Part One

 Backyard Garden  No Responses »
May 052009
 

There are many fruit trees and other varieties of fruits that can be grown in containers. Growing fruit in containers is a perfect solution for people who want fresh fruit but have limited garden space or live in a city. And with the emphasis on recession gardens and growing you own produce and fruit the small space fruit orchard is catching on. Iron grapes
Creative Commons License photo credit: Marina Cast.

If you are looking for fruit that will produce the first year soft fruits are you best choice. Strawberries, currents, gooseberries, and grapes work well. These can be bought in compact varieties or dwarf rootstock. But this may not be necessary because the size of the container will usually restrict the size of growth of the plant.

Watermelon, cantaloupe, melons, kiwi and vine peach also grow well in containers, And if you like nuts, try growing peanuts indoors.

And although growing you own fruit is easy and rewarding with fresh fruit with limited chemicals or no chemicals its important to realize that growing fruit in containers will not produce the quantity that will be produced in a garden area. But your crop is usually enough for your needs.

Containers for the Small Fruit Orchard

Half the fun of growing in containers is selecting the container. Consider the pot as an addition of art in your backyard and home. You want the select the right size for your fruit crop but color and a container that adds to your décor or expresses your personality is also important.

The best containers for growing fruit are those only slightly larger than the existing rootball. This would be an additional 2 to 3 inches in diameter.

As a rule of thumb, most fruits do well in a pot that is 18 inches in diameter and at least 16-18 inches deep. Melons will need a larger pot. I prefer to grow them in a planter box so that I can trellis the plants easily and make sure they have enough fertilizer and water.  Fresh Fruit
Creative Commons License photo credit: allyrose18

Strawberries can be grown in smaller pots and work well in hanging baskets or window boxes. I grow my strawberries in hanging baskets and have a crop of berries that produce all year long.

Container tip: Large pots will get heavy from the soil so set them on casters to make moving them around the patio, balcony in and out of the house easier.

One final consideration in selecting a container for your fruit is to make sure it has adequate drainage and a water tray for catching excess water.

With proper sunlight, fertilizer and watering, you can raise great fruit in a small space garden or orchard area.

You will find it rewarding and you may want to mix a few herbs or flower in your containers for more color and fun.

Posted by Denise at 9:34 pm  Tagged with: , , , , , , ,

Small Space Fruit Garden

 backyard design  1 Response »
May 042009
 

Small fruit varieties grow well in limited space garden designs. There are many fruit trees that you can train as espaliers or to grow in containers but strawberries, brambles, and melons will grow well in containers and on patios and balcony gardens with little care. Dill
Creative Commons License photo credit: quinn.anya

Raspberries are a good choice for fruit container for the small space garden. There are summer and fall-bearing varieties. Raspberries also cost quite a bit in stores and have been heavily sprayed for insects, so by growing your own you will save money and have a cleaner fruit

The summer bearing raspberry plants will produce fruits in early summer, with the season lasting around five weeks. The fall-bearing varieties, which are known as everbearing, will give you two crops each year – one in early summer and a late crop min fall. In my zone 5 this is late September and into October.

You can choose red, gold, purple or black raspberries for your fruit container garden. Some of the good red and yellow varieties of raspberries are named ‘Anne;’ and ‘Autumn Bliss.” If you want to go in for black or purple varieties, you can choose between ‘Brandywine’, ‘Munger’ and ‘Royalty are great selections in black and purple raspberry varieties.’ These varieties are summer bearing.

Blackberries also do well growing in containers. My suggestion for blackberry plants when selection a variety to grow is to get the thornless variety. The sting of a blackberry thorn seems to be worse than any other bramble bush. Brambles are usually spaced one foot apart when planted.

Another option for blackberries or raspberries is to train them to grow on trellises. You will make better use of the space and I also grow a small crop of lettuce or herbs in front of the berries for better use of space and to add color to the garden area.

Melons are also a nice fruit for the mini garden area, but they will take a large container. Melons will need plenty of water, fertilizer and soil that drains well. The reason for a large container is to ensure that the melon plants have enough fertilizer to produce a good crop.

Peach vine or Vine Peach is also a favorite heirloom fruit that I grow. It has a wide variety of uses and takes very little space. I grow this crop on a trellis and usually mix in a vining flower for color.

There are many fruits that will grow all year long. Strawberries are a perfect example. As long as they have fertilizer and decent lighting you will be able to harvest a crop all season long. I tend to grow most of my strawberries in hanging baskets. They take less space, look great and produce well this way.

Care of you fruit garden

I only use organic insect control on my fruit plants. By checking the plants regularly and making sure the plants have the proper water and fertilizer I rarely have an insect problem. I also check and remove any weak stems or leaves.

Raspberry plants tend to attract Japanese beetles so I grow an okra plant and place it 20 foot away from the berry brambles. It’s a pretty plant and Japanese beetles like the plant but the plant doesn’t agree with them. It’s a natural insect control for the raspberry plant.

Other insect controls are a homemade insect spray.

Most fruit varieties dislike frost and extreme cold and will damage easily if exposed to frost. Keep your fruit container gardening efforts in a cool place, away from the frost. And if they are located outdoors cover the crops during the late fall.

Posted by Denise at 11:42 pm  Tagged with: , , , , , ,
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