Easy to grow fruit trees and plants for beginners

Last year I finally achieved a long-standing ambition – eating an apple from a tree I personally planted. And it was as delicious as it was satisfying! It may seem like a pipe dream. In reality, it’s quite simple. There are a lot of easy to grow fruit trees and plants for beginners, and I’ll share with you the pick of the crop.

TOP TIPS FOR BEGINNERS TO GROWING FRUIT TREES AT HOME

There are many easy fruit trees to grow at home. You don’t necessarily need a large garden or even ground soil to plant your trees, but you’ll need to be aware of a couple of topics. Fruits need two main things to grow, a growing medium, and a planter. These can be translated into the soil and a container.

You can find different types of both. Each kind is more suited to different fruits.

PICKING THE RIGHT CONTAINER

First and foremost, consider the size of your fruit tree. Small plants may only need an 8-inch wide container, while larger fruit trees will require a much larger 48-inch-wide pot.

Next up is the material of the container. You have a choice between weighty materials such as terracotta, clay, stone, and ceramic. Or the lighter wood and plastic containers.

Stone and clay pots are more stable but also heavier, while terracotta offers a balance in between. Wood containers may attract you with their look, but they can rot over time. Plastic containers are lightweight and long-lasting, so they offer a good choice.

Whichever container you pick, make sure that it’s also temperature-resistant enough for your fruit tree of choice. Additionally, check to see how effective their drainage holes are, especially if your fruit plant requires well-drained soil. (I often add a layer of pebbles at the bottom to allow better drainage for plants that don’t like wet feet.)

PICKING THE RIGHT SOIL

The two most important things about your soil or potting mix are aeration and drainage. Garden soil cannot be interchanged with container soil. They lack the properties to allow for proper drainage. This is why you’ll need a special potting mix.

Soils with moisture-control or where drainage has been considered are perfect for potted trees. Some even have a controlled-release fertilizer mixed in to reduce feeding requirements. To make them ideal for each fruit tree, ingredients such as peat moss, pine bark, or composted fir all work to tinker with soil properties.

Remember to also check on the soil acidity. Some fruits may require a particularly acidic soil, which you can achieve by the right ingredients. Loose soil can be acidified by some organic materials such as compost, manure, or sphagnum peat moss. On the other hand, compacted soil would need elemental sulfur or iron sulfate. You can check your soil’s pH with a soil meter.

HARVEST TIME

As you can see, there are many easy to grow fruit trees and plants for beginners. While you might think it’s a challenge, it really doesn’t need years of green thumb experience to get growing.

Learn by practice, and keep improving your methods until you’re satisfied with your crop. Happy harvesting fellow growers!