Fruit Trees
Steve Bridges

The changing of the seasons reminds us that it is time to do this or that in our gardens. No, you can't rest over the winter! Now is the time to plant your fruit trees! There is soil to be tilled, holes to be dug, and future plans for homemade jelly or wine to be decided upon. Just where do these trees come from? Wholesale growers, located in colder climates, wait until the chilling frosts have sent their fruit tree crops into dormancy. They then dig them up and offer them to retail nurseries as bare-root fruit trees. Retail nurseries buy them from the wholesalers and then 'heel them up' in bark or sand, keeping their roots moist and alive. These dormant trees are then ready for you to purchase and plant. Bare-root trees are just as easy to grow as container grown trees when planted correctly and at the right time of year. And that time is from now until mid-Spring. The earlier you get them in the ground the better established they will be by the heat of summer. So what do you plant?

There are varieties of peaches, plums, pears, persimmons, apples, figs, and pecans that do very well here. And for those holding out for some really cold winters, followed with no late freezes, there are nectarines and apricots. There are a few things to consider when choosing the type and variety of fruit tree you will plant.

Some trees, particularly peach, plum, pear, and apple trees require a certain number of chill hours to break bud in the spring and produce fruit. A chill hour is defined as one hour between freezing and 45 degrees. Bastrop County receives, on average, 600-700 chill hours over the winter. For instance, the freestone peach 'Tropi-Berta', with chill hours of 550-600 would be a good choice most years. The cling peach 'Early Elberta', with chill hours in the 750 range would be a safer bet when we have a colder winter such as this one. Sometimes you take a chance on the number of chill hours to get the type of peach that you want. It's all about what'cha like!

Another consideration is whether the tree needs a pollinator to produce fruit. Some trees are self-fertile (no pollinator needed), some partially self-fertile (will produce more reliably with a second tree of another variety), and some self-sterile (needs a different variety for cross-pollination). Peaches, persimmons, figs, and nectarines are self-fertile. Apricots, pears, pecans, and plums need another variety to reliably produce fruit. Apples are self-sterile and definitely need another variety to produce fruit.

When choosing a bare-root tree, smaller is better. A 6-8 foot tree will not bear fruit any sooner than a smaller tree and smaller trees are easier to establish. Late freezes can be a problem because the freeze kills the bloom from which the fruit will grow. One answer is to delay the bloom time by keeping the ground cooler as winter turns into spring. Do this by mulching heavily or growing a winter cover crop over the root zone. Similarly, slopes that face north are ideal locations because they do not receive the direct sun in early spring (reducing soil warming). You also want to avoid low-lying 'frost pockets'. When planting, work the area as a small garden plot. Fruit trees need well-drained soil to grow vigorously. It is best to till and amend the soil around the tree and not just 'in the hole'. Work compost, rock phosphate, greensand, and vulcanite into the soil. You are creating a living soil that will not need any foreign soil added to it. After planting, drench with a seaweed solution and mulch. The seaweed acts as a rooting stimulator and the mulch will keep it more evenly moist. Water deeply and infrequently, which will vary according to your soil type.

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