How To Choose Fruit Trees for Your Garden

Winter is the best time to decide on new fruit trees for your garden. A fruit tree is one of the most valuable additions that you can make to a permaculture garden and will offer immense enjoyment and likely also good yields for years to come. It can also be an integral part of a functioning and productive garden ecosystem. While you can purchase and plant fruit trees throughout the year, the cheapest way to buy a fruit tree is as a bare-root sapling over the dormant period between late autumn and spring. These can be planted whenever the soil is not frozen or waterlogged. 

Today, gardeners can easily be overwhelmed by the huge variety of fruit trees on offer. To help you to make the right choices when it comes to choosing fruit trees for your garden, here are some of the things you should consider:
 
Choose the Right Fruit Tree For Your Climat

​The wealth of knowledge we have gained as a society in horticultural matters means that we understand which plants are best suited to different environments and have bred a wide selection of fruit trees better able to withstand varied climates. Whichever sort of fruit tree you select, it is a good idea to purchase it from a nursery or garden centre that is as close as possible to where you live, as this means it is more likely to be a variety that is well adapted to the climatic conditions of your area.
 
Choose the Right Fruit Tree For Your Location
 
As well as considering which fruit tree will be right for your climate, it is also to consider other factors relating to your location, such as the level of sunlight, the prevailing wind direction, how sheltered or exposed your garden is, and other details of the micro-climate than prevails at the location in which you intend to place your tree.
 
Choose the Right Fruit Tree For Your Soil
 
Another thing to consider when choosing a fruit tree is the soil in your garden. You should make sure that you are aware of what time of soil you have in your growing area. Is it predominantly clay, silt, sand or loam? Is it acidic or alkaline? Is it free-draining or waterlogged? Is it fertile or does the nutrient profile need some work? The soil conditions are another factor that will determine which fruit trees will do best where you live.
 
Choose the Right Fruit Tree For You & Your Family
 
One final thing to think about before choosing a fruit tree is what you and your family actually like to eat. While a pear tree might be able to thrive where you live, for example, there is no point planting one if you and your family do not especially like this fruit. This might sound obvious, but any people forget when planning a garden about the preferences of the people who will be benefiting from its yield.