Post by ogeezer on Mar 12, 2007 10:44:19 GMT -6
Even the smallest homestead has room for fruit trees. With the variety of tree sizes and shapes, you can choose full-sized trees which are tremendous producers, but take room and several years to begin bearing fruit. Semi-dwarf trees, which usually require only a 10- by 10-foot spacing, produce full sized fruit in moderate amounts and only take a couple of years to bear. Dwarf and “pole” trees, which produce full sized fruit in small amounts, can be raised on a patio in a portable tub.
A hardcore homesteader can get by with two each of several varieties to provide variety and cross-pollination. I’d suggest pear, tangerine (satsuma, if you prefer), grafted orange or grapefruit, blackberries (the domesticated alternative to dewberries), and even Fig for most gardeners. We have two Fig trees in a protected corner of our flower bed -- protected by the house away from any killer winter north winds. Tho the pecan is not technically a fruit tree, it's a good source of edibles -- providing you protect it from bag worms & squirrels (which go into the stew pot).
Avocadoes are a good drupe-bearing tree, we have two of those too, but generally these don't do well around here without special care from snap-freezes. The wife loves Kiwi & Mangoes but so far all attempts to cultivate those haven't been successful in this clime. And if you can get them started, wild grapes (for preserves & wines) make a nice addition to the old homestead.
Now a lot of folks say they’d need acres and acres to reach any level of self-reliance in the food department. Not so. My grandpaw did it on two city lots in Tyler. Instead of normal landscaping or roses which the town was famous far (other than Earl Campbell), nearly everything he grew produced edible fruit: peach, grapes, brambles, asparagus, crab apple, strawberry, etc.
A hardcore homesteader can get by with two each of several varieties to provide variety and cross-pollination. I’d suggest pear, tangerine (satsuma, if you prefer), grafted orange or grapefruit, blackberries (the domesticated alternative to dewberries), and even Fig for most gardeners. We have two Fig trees in a protected corner of our flower bed -- protected by the house away from any killer winter north winds. Tho the pecan is not technically a fruit tree, it's a good source of edibles -- providing you protect it from bag worms & squirrels (which go into the stew pot).
Avocadoes are a good drupe-bearing tree, we have two of those too, but generally these don't do well around here without special care from snap-freezes. The wife loves Kiwi & Mangoes but so far all attempts to cultivate those haven't been successful in this clime. And if you can get them started, wild grapes (for preserves & wines) make a nice addition to the old homestead.
Now a lot of folks say they’d need acres and acres to reach any level of self-reliance in the food department. Not so. My grandpaw did it on two city lots in Tyler. Instead of normal landscaping or roses which the town was famous far (other than Earl Campbell), nearly everything he grew produced edible fruit: peach, grapes, brambles, asparagus, crab apple, strawberry, etc.