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Fruit Salad in a Pot
by Toni Salter [www.theveggielady.com]
Have you ever wanted to grow your own fruit but decided against it because you don't have enough space? Well think again!! It's now possible to have a complete orchard in as little as 6 square metres. And the best thing is that you can grow them all in pots.
Imagine growing one
tree that produces peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots. Or try a citrus
tree that grows lemons, grapefruit, mandarins and limes!
"Fruit Salad Trees" are the answer to today's shrinking outdoor
space. You can now actually grow up to 8 different types of fruit on the
one tree.
Although you can't literally grow the whole bowl of fruit salad on one tree, you can cover a great selection on 4 individual plants. It's done through a technique of multi-grafting, where several different types of plants are grafted onto the one strong rootstock. There are a few restrictions because you need to keep all the stonefruit together, as with all the citrus, all the apples and all the pears.
Limited Space
The benefits of these trees are many. First, you don't need uncle Jim's 20 acre property to grow them. Their "dwarf" nature lends them perfectly to pot culture, so you can even grow a couple of trees on a sunny protected balcony or courtyard. And because they're small (in overall size and shape but definitely not in fruit) they're much easier to care for when it comes to pruning, pest control, netting and harvesting.
Constant Supply of Fruit
Second, you can get a continual supply of fruit over a longer period rather than an overabundance all at once. With conventional fruit trees you often get stuck with so much fruit that you simply can't consume it all, so the fruit rots on the tree and attracts fruit fly. Or you just give it away and a few weeks later when the harvest is over, you're wishing you hadn't. When you have a multi-grafted apple tree or pear tree, you can combine different varieties that ripen at different times. So when you run out of Jonathan apples, you're just getting ready for your Granny Smiths. Similarly for different types of Nashi pears.
With a wide range of citrus grafted to the one tree, you can pick some sort of lemon, orange, mandarin or grapefruit almost all year round. That way there's never any waste.
Choice
Another plus is that you get to choose what you want. You select as many different grafts as you want (or can afford) and the nursery tries to match it as best it can. Because there are so many different combinations, they can't always guarantee the exact request but they'll come pretty close if they can't.
Alien Orchards
Now before you shudder and think that we're developing alien, freak of nature fruit trees that will take over the world's agriculture… don't get too alarmed. These are not GMO's (genetically modified organisms). Almost all commercially sold fruit trees in Australia are grafted. This is a process of splicing together a tough, disease resistant rootstock with another variety that produces desired fruit yet belongs to the same "plant family". There is no tampering with genetics here. This is why you have to stick with having all of your stone fruit together on the one tree, keeping all fruit from the same family together.
Care & Maintenance
Special care needs to taken early as the tree is developing. Because of the different growth rates of some varieties over others, your tree can easily become lop-sided or misshapen. It's important to prune the more vigorous growth back to allow for the whole plant to grow evenly. You should expect to have your first fruits as early as 6 to 12 months after delivery of your new trees.
Grow your trees in good organically enriched soil in the ground or in pots of organic potting mix. Feed them every year with some manure and/or compost.
You'll need to repot your trees every couple of years into a bigger pot as it grows. The bigger your plant the more fruit it will produce if you treat it well.
Keep an eye out for pest and disease problems and attend to it early. Water the trees consistently especially during flowering and fruiting. Never let your pots dry out and mulch heavily in warm weather to keep the moisture in and weeds away. Sugar cane mulch is good as it feeds the plants as it breaks down.
Where From & How Much
The good news is that fruit salad trees are grown in Australia and are suitable for temperate and cool climates. They're easily accessed over the internet, just visit www.fruitsaladtrees.com for all ordering details. Don't forget to download full care instructions from the site also. It's well done and easy to follow.
The bad news is that they're a little pricey. At $20 per graft it can set you back a small fortune per plant, so be selective with what you choose. For example, if you want a stonefruit with peaches($20), nectarines($20), plums($20) and apricots($20), then it's going to cost you $80 plus delivery just for this one tree. But remember, you're getting 4 trees in one.
Next month:
Water bowls that add a special feature to any sized garden
or courtyard.
If you'd like to learn
more, you can attend one of Veggie Lady's workshops.
Go to The Veggie Lady's website [http://www.theveggielady.com]
or to the Chaos Generation events page [http://www.chaosgeneration.com/events.htm]
for workshop dates.
About CG | Editor: Kirsten Lowe | PO Box 559, Broadway 2007, Sydney, Australia
Ph: 0410 310 238 | Fax: + 61 2 9816 3320 | Email: info (at) chaosgeneration (dot) com