End of October to mid-November is the perfect time of year in which you as a hobby gardener can plant certain fruit trees in autumn. Whether you are looking for small varieties for your patio containers or want to grow an orchard, the fall season is suitable for planting fruitful crops. Additionally, growing plants in the fall season increases the survival rate of your fruit trees and promotes better establishment and growth. So if you want to benefit from a rich harvest and fertile garden, the following gardening tips and short growing guide can be of practical help.
What to consider before planting fruit trees in the fall
In winter, fruit trees are dormant and therefore experience fewer shocks when transplanting. Such shock is common when planting, but it can kill the plant. Therefore, it is very important to reduce root stress. If you have the fruit tree in autumn orgrow in winter, its roots will grow during this time and lead to stronger growth of the tree. Additionally, you will need to water trees planted in November less the following summer as they will develop a better root system during winter dormancy.
When choosing a place to grow your fruit trees, sun and soil are the most important factors to consider. Most fruits need about 6 hours of sunlight a day to stay healthy and bear fruit. Fruit trees also need well-drained soil. The garden soil should therefore not be frozen or wet when planting. Also keep in mind that a windy location could affect flowering in spring, resulting in a smaller harvest.
While these two needs are easy to identify, knowing whether your soil has good drainage can be more difficult. You can determine this by testing how quickly the water drains in the desired growing location. Dig a 30 x 30 cm hole and fill it with water. After the water drains from the hole, refill it and measure the water depth. Wait 30 minutes and then measure the water depth again to see how much water has drained. A good drainage rate is approximately 5 cm per hour or 2.5 cm every half hour.
How to choose the types of fruit
Planting fruit trees in the fall can be relatively hassle-free and very rewarding. Furthermore there iscultivation in Novembergives the tree roots the opportunity to establish themselves over the winter months in order to grow faster next spring. When replanting a fruit tree, you can place a tree guard around the trunk to keep rodents such as rabbits or other wildlife away.
The beauty of fruits like these is how little you have to do with them to get the most out of their flavor. There is hardly anything sweeter than a fruit freshly picked from the tree. The selection is tempting: sweet eating apples, delicious cooking apples and pears, as well as juicy plums and cherries. More unusual types of fruit such as plums, peaches and quinces are also suitable for thisCultivation in November. Such fruit trees also bring the added benefit of beautiful spring blooms to the garden.
Plant fruit trees in autumn and graft rootstock
First of all, when choosing your fruit tree, it is important to know that almost all varieties are grafted onto a rootstock. A rootstock is just another compatible tree that has been bred to have special characteristics. Most importantly, the rootstock your fruit tree is grafted onto will affect the size of the tree. If you only want to have a small tree in the garden that does not grow higher than two to three meters, then choose a dwarf fruit tree. For a more traditional orchard type tree, there are stronger rootstocks.
Generally, dwarf fruit trees produce a crop at an earlier age, but the dwarf trees tend not to live as long. The final yield from a larger tree will obviously be much greater. The name of the rootstock should be clearly marked on the tree and varies depending on the fruit. For apple trees, for example, M27 is extreme dwarf fruit and means your tree will grow to less than 1.5 meters tall. M26 rootstock for an apple tree is only semi-dwarf and the tree is likely to grow up to 3 meters tall. Additionally, fruit trees that you can find at garden stores are usually around two years old, so they can produce a good harvest within a few years.
Recommended fruit trees for growing in November
There are a wide range of fruit trees you can plant in your autumn garden. What better way to welcome the last weeks of autumn and the first weeks of winter than with fresh produce from your own garden. For example, an apple tree grown in autumn produces crisp and tasty apples for late eating with a lovely honey flavor. The fruits ripen in October and last until Christmas. In addition, the apple trees bloom and can reward you with lots of fruit and are very easy to grow. Some apple varieties produce bright red fruits with an aromatic, sweet taste. They are also thin-skinned and ideal for children. The ripening period is from the beginning of September and they are also self-pollinating.
The variety called “Stella” is also very popular among cherry trees. These sweet cherries have dark red flesh and a mild acidity, making them perfect for making cakes. You can look forward to a harvest at the end of July, and the cherry tree is also self-pollinating like the apple trees. As for pears, the Concorde variety is one that you can also plant in the fall season. This pear variety has sweet flesh and is very juicy, with the fruit growing on a compact tree. The skin of the pears is green and yellow, with rusty red spots and is heavily pruned. If you grow plum trees in November, you can harvest ripe fruits of excellent quality from mid-August. The “Jubilee” variety has purple skin and juicy yellow flesh. Plum and plum trees are vigorous, so they are also recommended as dwarf fruit.
Follow simple steps and plant fruit trees in autumn
Growing a fruit tree in November is easy and should only take a short amount of time. After finding a sunny and well-drained location, you can dig a hole as deep as the root system and twice as wide as the root spread. This should be about twice the size of the pot. Place the tree in the hole so that the soil from the pot is level with the ground. It is best to also add compost so that there are no air pockets and good watering is possible. If you are planting in spring or summer, remember to water the tree well in the first few months to help it become established.
- Prune apples and pears in winter to create structure. If necessary, tidy them up in June.
- Stone fruits such as plums, cherries and plums are best pruned immediately after fruit formation.
- It is recommended to remove all fruit in the first year before development so that the tree can focus its energy on growth. After that, you only have to thin out the fruit if the crop is particularly strong.
- If you live in an urban area, pollination occurs easily from nearby gardens. Bees travel many kilometers.
- In a more remote area, choose self-pollinating fruit varieties or species that bloom at the same time.
- Make sure to clear a radius of about 1 meter around your tree and remove all grass and weeds. These must be left away so that they do not compete with your fruit tree for nutrients.
- In the beginning, water and mulch your fruit trees regularly. It's best to water them slowly and deeply every few days. This will ensure the roots stay moist without becoming saturated.
Also read:7 important gardening tasks in November: What still needs to be done in late autumn
