Five Trees For Your Edible Garden
One of the biggest benefits of homeownership is the ability to customize your home inside and out. If you like the idea of an edible garden or edible landscape, these 5 trees are a good place to start. They can all be grown in a variety of climates and are fairly easy to maintain.
Citrus Trees
Lemon, Lime, Orange and Grapefruit varieties are all evergreen trees. They do not drop their leaves or go dormant in the winter. Citrus trees begin to produce fruit in their 5th year which is typically 2 or 3 years after planting. They attract hummingbirds, butterflies and other helpful pollinators.
Peach Tree
When planting peach trees in warm climates it’s important to consider the variety’s chill hour requirement for dormancy. Earli Grande and Florida prince varieties both do well in a low desert climate like Phoenix. Basin irrigation is recommended to encourage deeper roots and better drought tolerance.
Jujube
Native to China and commonly referred to as the Chinese date, these hardy trees are gaining popularity for their resilience and unique fruit. Although they can tolerate sub-zero winters, the trees require a hot summer for the fruit to ripen. It is best to cut the stem when harvesting and avoid pulling from the vine.
Pomegranate
Is particularly well suited to warm, dry southwestern states. Some varieties do well in cooler climates as well. As the fruit ripens, skin texture shifts to a matte finish, the sides of the fruit will flatten out as the seeds swell and push against the skin. When the seeds are full of juice, the fruit will get heavy. If they start drooping or falling off the tree, it’s definitely time to harvest.
Pear Tree
It can take 3-10 years for a pear tree to bear fruit, so buying one from a nursery may be more rewarding than growing one from seed, but you CAN grow them from the seeds of a pear you bought at the grocery store. Standard varieties can grow up to 20 feet or more which might not be ideal on a city lot. Dwarf versions are typically around 10 feet tall.
