Comments on: How to Choose Fruit Trees to Plant: Climate, Varieties & More

By: Victoria

Victoria — Thu, 02 Jul 2020 19:43:21 +0000

I have ordered one tree online (Four Winds) a Blood Orange Tree, Semi-Dwarf, and purchased one at my local nursery, a Dwarf Lime Tree/Bush.
The biggest difference that I, and other friends of mine, noticed with ordering online in that the tree you get is almost always on the smaller side of their range. 24 in -36 in has always been the 24 inch even though you pay the higher price for it.
However, my locally bought Lime was larger at the time of growing but needed a full year before it really started “popping off” with fruit. My online Blood Orange tree definitely needed a lot more TLC when I first got it, it was quite a bit flimsier of a stem and needed more support. I wouldn’t say that the fact that they are two different trees changed the stem. A tree either place should have a firm solid stem when you get it. You shouldn’t be worried about a wind breaking it or bending it too much.
Either way, Some trees, especially in California, can be hard to find because of our agricultural laws, but both online and my local nursery trees have done remarkably well. So its just something to look out for, but i’d recommend either.
Also, don’t overwater your citrus trees. They tend to hate being overwatered more than underwater.

By: Caitlin Prostek

Caitlin Prostek — Fri, 12 Jul 2019 20:00:40 +0000

Such great tips as always Deanna! We are buying our first house and I plan on turning half of the front yard into an edible landscape and this couldn’t have come at a more perfect time!! Im in zone 5 but I am convinced i’ll find a Bay Laurel plant that will work here.

By: Liz

Liz — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 14:26:14 +0000

Another great post. Thanks for being so thorough! Love my little apple tree.

By: DeannaCat

DeannaCat — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 01:21:20 +0000

In reply to Kim. Try a soap spray on those mealybugs, weekly if needed (1 tbsp Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap per quart of water, or 5 Tbsp per gallon). Most figs need less than 100 chilling hours, so that may not be the issue. Look up your variety's needs. If it is young it could take a couple years. Also, potted trees need more routine fertilizer (not while dormant) than in-ground trees. I will write a whole post all about growing in containers soon! I hope this helps in the meantime!

By: Kim

Kim — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 22:09:35 +0000

Thank you for the thorough article, as always. I love citrus trees, so I have a lemon, calamondin, and a pomello in pots (I live in zone 5b, so can’t plant them in the ground). They’re so tricky grow. The lemon has been struggling with mealy bugs, but it’s finally flowering, and now the buds are dropping. The pomello looks sad; it dropped all it’s buds when we bought it in January. It grew some new leaves in March, but hasn’t grown since, and no flowers. The calmondin finally has some new growths, so that’s encouraging.
My fig tree only has leaves, it may be due to insufficient chilling hours because I kept it in the basement over the winter. If it gets enough chilling hours this coming winter, would it produce fruits again next summer? Thanks in advance!!

By: Adrienne

Adrienne — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 18:38:02 +0000

Thanks for the great post!
Another amazing tree that I’ve just learned about is the cherry plum! My city has planted them everywhere and (luckily for me) most are fruit bearing and not ornamental! I’ve really enjoyed foraging and have made “wild” plum cobbler, jam and ice cream! The fruits are sweet on the outside and tart close to the center and the trees have beautiful purple leaves. I’ve read they’re relatively easy to care for and are quick growing. Looking forward to planting some in my future garden (I currently live in an apartment)!

By: Nakesha

Nakesha — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 17:30:20 +0000

In reply to DeannaCat. Thanks for all this useful info! We are about to buy a house and I’ve been thinking about what trees I want to plant so I’ll definitely be coming back to this post!

By: DeannaCat

DeannaCat — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 17:02:07 +0000

In reply to Jess Nelson. It sounds like you have a lot of the awesome goodies that we have growing! Pluck off a couple bay leaves and throw them in the pot the next time you are cooking brown rice or quinoa. It brings it to a whole new level! Thanks for the feedback!