FRUIT TREES FOR SMALL SPACES
GROW YOUR OWN FOR YEAR-ROUND HARVEST
LAST week’s article highlighted the vegetables that may fit into small garden spaces in response to the current surge of gardening enthusiasm brought about by the unfortunate position in which we all find ourselves on this earth at the moment.
Both warm season and cool season vegies were listed to help suburban backyard producers (SBPs) select suitable varieties for year-round production in their patch.
I think that vegies certainly give you excellent value for money on a per square metre basis, but if you have any spare space in your yard after planting your vegie patch you should also consider planting a range of fruit trees as well.
If extra space is limited, there’s a great range of dwarf fruit trees available in either local garden centres or via mail-order suppliers.
(Remember that the term “dwarf” is sometimes loosely used, meaning that while trees may not grow to full size, some can still reach up to half their expected mature height and width.)
Careful selection of varieties could mean that you’ll have some fruit ready for harvest during most months of the year.
First up this week, let’s look at dwarf citrus trees, as just about every SBP would like a couple of juicy oranges, lemons, limes or mandies growing in their plot.
Most dwarf citrus are usually grafted onto Flying Dragon rootstock which imparts its dwarfing characteristic to the scion as well as cold-hardiness and better resilience to disease and pests.
Remember, too, that citrus trees require regular feeding and a full-sun position, whether planted in pots or the ground.
There are really only two varieties of orange tree to consider for your patch, navels and valencias.
The Washington Navel orange is arguably one of the most popular home citrus varieties, growing to a manageable 2-3m high and 2m wide on dwarfing rootstock.
It can easily be kept pruned to 2m or lower. You can expect to harvest Washington navel fruit from May through to September.
‘Lane’s Late’ is another navel grafted to Flying Dragon, fruiting from September to December.
Growing to similar dimensions and in similar conditions is another popular orange variety, the seedless Valencia, which fruits when the navels usually don’t, that is, from about November to February.
Another favourite citrus is the mandarin (or mandarine).
There is nothing better than wandering into the backyard, picking, peeling and eating a fresh mandarin.
Dwarf varieties that are easy peeling include Imperial, growing to about 2m high and fruiting from April to July, and Emperor (about 2m high) fruiting in June/July.
Another mandarin finding favouritism lately is the Fremont, growing to about 2m on Flying Dragon rootstock, and fruiting around June to August.
It’s regarded as one of the best-flavoured mandarins if grown well.
Lemons have been on dwarf bushes for many years, and the “standard” has been ‘Lots A Lemons’, a low-growing bushy form of the Meyer lemon.
The Meyer is a natural cross between a lemon and orange, so is juicier and has less of a taste-tang.
‘Lots A lemons’ will only grow to about 1.5m high and wide, bears most of the year and does best in a good-sized pot.
A newer dwarf Meyer lemon is ‘Lemonicious’, with similar requirements and characteristics to ‘Lots A Lemons’.
If you’d like to grow a true sour lemon in a milder climate area, then the Eureka is for you.
Growing to about 2.5m high, this lemon is one of ever-bearing varieties, producing a heavy crop of juicy fruit in spring/summer and spot-fruiting for the rest of the year.
Being high in pectin, they’re best for “setting” in the kitchen.
For cooler areas, the Lisbon lemon is best. It’ll grow to similar dimensions as the Eureka, bears around winter/spring, but a downside is that they’re quite a thorny little devil.
If lemons aren’t “your kinda sour”, then a lime tree might be a great alternative.
The best variety on dwarfing rootstock has to be the Tahitian lime (1-2m high).
It’ll grow really well in warmer regions where it’s pretty well ever-bearing but will also produce a good crop in winter if positioned in a warm spot in cooler regions.
They must be picked green or you risk the likelihood of the fruit developing stylar-end rot if they ripen on the tree.
For the grapefruit lovers, there’s a couple of varieties on dwarfing rootstock.
Look for ‘Rio Red’, a cold-hardy variety with bright red juicy flesh and not many seeds.
It’ll grow, in dwarf form, to about 2.5m high, but can be pruned lower.
Another interesting dwarf grapefruit form is actually an orange-grapefruit cross, ‘Honeff’s Surprise’.
This beauty has an orange skin, rather than the normal grapefruit yellow, and is quite sweet and very juicy.
Two other dwarf citrus varieties to check out are ‘Minneola’, a tangelo (mandaringrapefruit cross) and ‘Cara Cara’, a small navel orange discovered in Venezuela in 1976 with pink flesh similar to some grapefruit varieties.
All of these dwarf citrus trees are ideal potted specimens.
Pots will need to be at least 400mm in diameter and contain a premium quality potting mix.
We’ll take a look at other types of dwarf fruit trees next week. GARDEN Cuttings
Contact me via my Facebook page – Wellsley Horticulture – for information on a great range of natural and organic garden products for your small space vegie plots – soil conditioners, fertilisers and microbial boosters. You can also email me at – wellsleyhorticultural@gmail.com