2021 Spring Home and Garden

Page 34 2021 Spring Home & Garden LINCOLN DAILY NEWS April 22, 2021 T here are many “romantic notions” about having your own fruit trees and bushes. Most everyone dreams of the end result, such as eating apples straight from the tree or making cherry pie filling. The pandemic has also increased interest in growing your own ... well, everything. Fruit trees won’t provide quick gratification, as most take at least three years before bearing fruit. Growing your own fruit can be very rewarding, and for some it is worth more than the effort. The place to begin with fruit trees is researching the topic. Determine what type of fruit you want to grow, and check if it will work in our area. Not all fruit varieties, and certainly not cultivars, do well in our state. Most will do well in our area with the exception of apricots. For some types you will need at least two for reliable pollination. Determine if you wanted dwarf, semi-dwarf, or full size trees. Don’t go too overboard as the dwarf apple trees will produce at least three bushels of apples in a good year! Good information on varieties is available from many sources, just make sure the source is reputable. University information, from sources such as University of Illinois, Purdue, or Michigan State, is very reliable. Many nurseries are also good sources. Next, get the trees bought. Popular choices for small numbers are container trees and bare root trees. The container trees most typically are at local stores where you will pick them up, while bare root trees are usually shipped from a nursery. Many popular varieties are hard to find this time of year. Select an area with good drainage and full sun to plant in. Dig a hole large enough that the It’s the season to plant fruit trees CONTINUED u