Incorporating fruit into your garden

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/05/2013 (4588 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Growing your own fruit is of one this year’s hot new trends. If you’ve grown your own vegetables, it’s a logical next step.

With the exception of strawberries though, which lend themselves willingly to container growing, we are talking about trees, shrubs, and vines — trendy perhaps, but they are going to occupy a permanent place in your yard.

In addition to the fruit, try to get some added value from the plants themselves. In terms of growing conditions, most require full sun, and all require even moisture.

Pears are medium-sized trees; apples and plums are medium-to small sized trees. They like full sun and require lots of space, both for comfortable harvesting, and because they just don’t like to be crowded. They are natural focal points, and this is an easy role for them. Their springtime flowering is breathtaking, and many have a golden fall colouring. Talk about value-added.

If your heart is set on growing an apple, and you’re short on space, there are a number of dwarf varieties available. They offer the same year-round appeal, just half the size.

Privacy screening is an issue in many urban yards. Cherries and saskatoons are large shrubs, and make for ideal screening. Saskatoons tend to sucker, which can be a bonus where screening is concerned. They also look great while flowering in the spring, and just as great in orange-red fall colour. Grapes can also provide excellent screening. Simply provide the supports, train the grape vines, and they will cover it quickly. Saskatoons will grow well in full or partial sun; cherries and grapes require full sun.

Currants, gooseberries, and haskap are smaller shrubs and can be incorporated as hedging, or as a part of the bones of a foundation or planting bed. With the exception of the cherries’ beautiful white springtime flowers, these plants are the background workhorse group. Good for hedging, good for green filler. All require full sun.

Be sure to consider the impact on your neighbour before planting a fruiting hedge along a property line.

Raspberries are a group unto themselves. You don’t actually plant raspberries so much as unleash them. They offer nothing whatsoever in terms of added value, and require ongoing vigilance to keep them from galloping throughout the yard. Put them in full sun, and they will give you manna from fruit-gardening heaven. Absolutely worth the trouble!

Carla Keast has a master’s degree in landscape architecture and is a Winnipeg-based freelance landscape designer. She can be reached at contact@carlakeast.com.