Planting AMAZING Fruit Trees in Your Back to Eden Garden
Nature Hills Nursery generously donated an Elberta Peach Tree #5 Container to Mark and Diane McOmber, the gardeners featured in Back to Eden Film. It is the very first fruit tree that they planted in their Back to Eden Community Garden! You can now watch the unboxing of the fruit tree all the way through planting.
Where is the best place to buy fruit trees?
Nature Hills is based in Florida and offers one of the largest selections of fruit trees available to purchase online. Are you skeptical of ordering a living tree that will be shipped in a box? Don’t be! Nature Hills has excellent customer service if you experience any problems. We have not had a bad experience and highly recommend ordering a fruit tree today!
Nature Hills Nursery is the best place to buy fruit trees online. I have tried several other online nurseries and found Nature Hills has the best shipping protection for the trees and the healthiest stocks of fruit trees. The growth and fruit production of the trees I purchased from them has surpassed most of my other comparable fruit trees.
If you have a really good local nursery or fruit tree supplier that is always the best. However, sometimes it can be difficult to find good quality fruit tree suppliers. Oftentimes the varieties they carry are not actually adapted to your growing zone. Make sure you ask your community and watch what is growing well at neighbor's gardens and farms. We planted a large variety of fruit trees, some purchased from a local nursery and some purchased from Nature Hills online since they carried more varieties. I was skeptical about ordering a tree to be shipped to me! I was shocked that the ones I purchased from Nature Hills have surpassed the health and growth of those I purchased locally. This may not be the case with everyone! Support local nurseries when you can! But I highly recommend the quality of their fruit trees and varieties based on my experience and other Back to Eden Gardeners.
When should you be planting fruit trees for fall? In the United States, the best time is NOW, early fall! The sooner you can get your plants in the ground, the better. Here are some fabulous fruit tree options (and a bonus: they are also some of the best fruit trees for hot climates).
Planting trees in an established Back to Eden Garden is easy! The soil is so soft from the mulch naturally amending it that it's a breeze to dig a large hole. Check out the unbelievable transformation of the soil in this video! Even more importantly, the roots of your trees can easily get established and spread. But what steps should a beginner BTE Gardener take with hardpan soil?
New gardeners and old-timers, don't want to miss out on taking these important, simple steps to successfully grow fruit trees!
Don't Make These Common Mistakes When Planting Your Fruit Trees!
- Poor Drainage: Having sufficient drainage is also very important. If you plant a fruit tree in a hole with heavy clay soil surrounding it, the water won't be able to drain and your trees may experience root rot. Make sure you add compost or amendment to the hole that is made for planting fruit trees and adds to the soil aeration.
- Small Hole: Your fruit tree hole should be at least 2-3 times the size of the root ball. Dig your hole in a square shape instead of a circle to allow the roots to penetrate into the native soil more easily.
- Nutrients: Use an organic fruit tree fertilizer that is formulated for the type of tree you are growing to help your trees get established. You can alternatively top-dress the mulched soil with composted organic animal manure if you have chickens, goats, etc. You won't need to fertilize eventually but your trees will appreciate the jump start and produce better initially.
- Watering: Overwatering is a common killer of fruit trees. Water deeply and only when needed. Once trees are well established after a few years you may never have to water, depending on your climate.
Keep the soil covered with plenty of mulch (containing carbon and nitrogen) and your trees will thrive!
Planting fruit trees are the best way to establish a healthy, food secure future and create a balanced ecosystem for your vegetable garden at home!