Top 4 Low-Maintenance Fruit Trees for Your Yard & Garden

The feeling of picking self-sown fruits from your very own yard is way too different than picking the same from a glistening super-store shelf. Growing trees is always fun – don’t fret about them taking too much of space. Some huge fruit trees do ask for a good deal of effort, but others can easily be grown in your backyard or even on your rooftop. There are always ways how you can have a gardening space in your home. In addition to that, some trees would require a fellow tree for cross-pollination too. On the contrary, some self-pollinating trees include nectarines, apricots, peaches, cherries etc. Whether you have a wide space to accommodate many trees or you have a compact yard – we have pulled together four fruit trees that have the least maintenance needs.

Plums

Low on maintenance needs, the decision to have a plum tree in your yard can barely go wrong. They adapt to almost all weather conditions and would ask for very little or no effort from you. With a small centered stone, plums are delectable fruits with a pulpy, juicy flesh wrapped in a thin plum skin. Plum trees are not self-pollinators, and thus, you would need a neighboring tree alongside for a healthy crop. While choosing this tree, be mindful of choosing a variety that goes well with the temperature of your region. Some common varieties include Damson, Japanese, and European plum varieties. Plum trees require well-drained soil with rich sunlight exposure. Allocate the highest point of your garden to your plum tree to protect it against any frost settling around the base. Standard-sized plum trees should be allowed a space of at least 20 to 25 feet, whereas dwarf trees can be planted at a distance of 15 to 20 feet apart. Don’t leave your plum tree exposed to strong winds, as this can bring in severe damage. Water it well when newly planted and continue the same routine into the last months of the year to help it grow stable. Thinning of branches in plum trees is encouraged during Spring and Summer.

Peach

Summer season without peaches? How would we get our pies, jams, cocktails, muffins, and everything good about summers? Peach trees are well adapted to zones ranging from 5 to 8 and sometimes 9. They require full sun, moist soil, and a reasonable radial distance of 15-20 feet and 10-12 feet in standard and dwarf varieties, respectively. Some varieties of peach trees come as self-pollinating varieties whereas, others might want a fellow tree for pollination. Read the tag on your plant carefully or check with your supplier for more information about the variety you choose.

Pears

Pears make a staple crop during summers and for the spooky fall dishes, we just can’t have a better option than crisp pears. Pear trees are not self-pollinators and would require a tree for cross-pollination. They are slow starters and would take up to 3 years to produce fruit, but once a pear tree is all grown, you’d have tubs of pears every season. Pear trees require moist well-drained soil paired with direct sunlight and good air circulation. Ammonium Nitrate fertilization is a good idea with pears. Don’t forget to prune your pear tree annually to keep it healthy. Among pear trees, fire blight is the most common disease. Make sure you purchase a variety resistant to this disease. Standard-sized and dwarf pear tree varieties should be planted at least 20 and 15 feet apart, respectively.

Cherries

Who would not want a beautiful show of flowers accompanied by delicious ripe fruit and that too for as low maintenance as a cherry tree asks for? Sweet and sour cherry trees are diversely useful and are very easy to grow. Sweet cherry trees produce blood-red sweet cherries that are eaten raw, whereas the sour cherry trees produce sour cherries that are great for being cooked into jams, pies, jellies, etc. Sweet cherry trees are not self-pollinators and would require at least 2 to 3 fellow trees for pollination. However, multiple tree varieties anchored on dwarfing rootstocks mostly make self-pollinators. Both the sweet and sour cherry tree varieties will take up to 4 years before they begin to shower you with plenty of fruit. Standard sized cherry trees don’t hesitate to talk to the clouds – you’d often need a ladder to climb up and harvest fruit. Standard-sized trees and dwarf trees produce 30-50 and 10-15 quartz of cherries each year, respectively. Plant them late in the fall or during early spring to ensure full sunlight, moist soil, and effective air circulation. Applying mulch around the tree base is always helpful, and when the tree is ready to fruit, netting can come in handy to protect it against birds and insects. Cherry trees might require fertilization before they yield fruit in Springs and after each harvest. Prune them late in winters and once before its spring.

Bottom Line:

Fruit trees add the flavor of natural beauty and color to urban homes like nothing other does. And let’s not skip on the juicy fruits and scented flowers that come along. It is never too late to begin gardening. Take up your shovel and start with these easy-to-grow low-maintenance fruit trees that won’t require much maintenance, have moderate and fertilizing needs, and are prolific in terms of crop.