Growing fruit trees seems difficult to many Australians, however with the right tools and information we believe that anyone is capable! To give you a helping hand, we’ve put this article together so that you can get started confidently and with the right variety selections.
Before you start – do you have:
- A sunny spot with at least 6 hours of sun each day, every season?
- Access to water?
If you have both, your backyard is suitable for growing fruit trees – these are the two fundamentals everyone must have in order to grow fruit trees! We recommend all home gardeners purchase dwarf fruit trees – these are easier to manage, grow full sized fruit, and can be grown in pots or in the garden. From here, you need to make choices related to your climate. Find your climate zone below for our list of suggestions!
All climates, all backyards:
Blueberries, Lemon Heaven™, Maestro Mandarin®, Midnight/Red Velvet Pomegranates, and Sweet Temptation™ Fig. These are ESSENTIALS for a potted orchard, and are available online (except our citrus, which are available seasonally in many garden centres). The only factor you may have to be cautious of is frost. Regular frosts don’t agree with these varieties, however, there are ways around this – using greenhouses over winter, or simply pulling your potted plants under trees or undercover will significantly help! Thanks to the smaller size of all varieties (particularly when you purchase dwarf citrus!), and the potential to prune them back even further (which is how you can maintain the pomegranates in a smaller space), it’s quite easy to erect a structure to protect them.
Blueberry Burst® and Blueberry Kisses® are staples for the Aussie home garden – growing across the country with success!
Subtropical and Tropical:
In the PlantNet® range, the above suggestions are the most suitable for smaller subtropical spaces. Other suitable varieties are our Sunset Super Dwarf™ Nectarine and Peach! These will only ever grow to 1.5m high and 1.0m wide – but they can take a while to get there. For stone fruit lovers, these are the perfect introduction to stone fruit in a potted orchard. They are super easy to maintain, and the stunning pink flowers in spring followed by deep red leaves in summer is addictive!
For larger backyards, we recommend our one exception to the dwarf recommendation – and that is our members of our Tropical Sensations™ range, which are full sized stone fruit trees. You can keep them pruned back to control their size; however, they will almost always outgrow a pot! One option is to espalier them if you have a permanent small space. These 6 varieties have exceptional fruit, ripe for picking in November/December, and great for lunch boxes!
Delight-Ful™ Peach is a member of the PlantNet® Tropical Sensations® range – and as the name suggests, it produces delightful fruit!
Cool temperate:
Virtually anything in our Backyard Beauties® range will be suitable for your situation. From all the previously mentioned varieties to our super dwarf apples, pears, and stone fruit, they will work for you!
For areas with severe frosts, avoid stone fruit unless you have a protected area or greenhouse where you can keep your trees over winter. Areas with occasional frosts are suited to all these varieties. Cherries may still be suited to your area provided you don’t receive regular late frosts.
Apple, pear, and plum varieties will almost all require a pollination partner. Keep this in mind if you have a limited space and would like to have a diverse range of fruit.
In a 2m2 space, you can easily fit 2 pears and a blueberry! In a 4m2, you could increase it to 2 super dwarf apples, 2 blueberries, and a Sweet Temptation™ Fig. This would give you fruit for much of the year with the right conditions!
Dwarf Sir Don® Cherries are beautiful dark, sweet cherries. Cherry trees do best in cool
Warm temperate:
Again, virtually anything in our Backyard Beauties® range will be suitable for your situation. Without severe and regular frosts, stone fruit will thrive in your area! Apples and pears will also do very well in your climate. You can save space by selecting self-pollinating varieties, for example in a small space you could have one dwarf peach, a dwarf apricot, a dwarf plumcot (which tastes like a plum but can be pollinated by apricots!), and dwarf self-pollinating almond! You could make a unique statement by planting all these varieties in a group of matching pots along a wall or atop of a low brick fence for a Mediterranean feel.
Pinkabelle® apple trees perform well in cool and warm temperate areas.
Where to buy them
Most varieties are available online during winter at: www.plantnet.com.au
Dwarf apples, pears, stone fruit, and our flowering peaches are all available to order NOW. This includes our NEW Summer Crunch™ dwarf pear range. These are delivered straight to your door – get in quick!
Other varieties are available from retail stockists – make sure you call your favourite garden centre to check stock levels before making the trip!
For more information on growing and caring for fruit trees, visit our Plant Care page for the best advice available.
