A simple guide to fruit tree care

Guest Post:

YouGarden is an online gardening centre run by three horticulturalist who have over 50 years combined experience. They have one simple ethos “Gardening for Everyone” and sell everything for from easy to grow veg and flowers to YouGarden fruit trees and exotic palms.

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Why not perk up your five a day regime by adding in some home grown fruit this summer? A fruit tree is nature’s way of telling us to treat ourselves to something sweet and tasty. There’s nothing lovelier on a hot summer day than a homemade fruit salad with a squeeze of lemon juice and honey. Or how about a wholemeal apple crumble for those nippier autumn nights? It couldn’t be easier to grow guilt free tasty puddings by planting your own fruit trees.

It’s surprising what you can grow in your garden, even if you live in areas with plenty of good sledging weather every winter. An apple tree is a particularly great choice for beginners because they’re relatively low maintenance and they produce a hefty harvest pretty quickly. You don’t even need to wait for a pip to grow as it’s easy to buy fruit trees ready grown. This means you can be munching home-grown apples in a matter of months rather than years.

Patio and balcony gardeners can join the fun too as it’s very easy to grow a fruit tree in a pot. There are several dwarf varieties available which means you can have an impressive crop of fruit and still leave room to relax outdoors.

Fruit trees worth considering include apple, especially Braeburn which is nice and easy to grow and gives a tasty crop each time. For sweeter treats, think about Conference pear, Victoria plum or even Morello cherry.

If you like your fruit a little more exotic, then you could plant a fragrant lemon tree. These will thrive in surprisingly low temperatures as they’re hardy down to minus five degrees Centigrade. For many of us, that means we need to grow them in pots so that we can keep them snug indoors over the winter. That’s no hardship though as these plants are very pretty and smell divine all year round. And what could be more refreshing than a glass of home-grown lemonade?

Whether you go for a homely apple tree or a more luxurious lemon, the most important thing is to plant them into a good sized pot or plot and water them regularly, especially in the heat of summer. Keep a close eye on them for pests and either pick them off or wash them off as soon as you spot any. That way can look forward to scrumptious and healthy puddings all year round.