Every one of those arguments is completely correct when talking about Fruit Trees. Fruit trees typically grow 20 to 25 feet tall, even the "semi-dwarf" grow to full size, they just do it slower.

As home sizes get bigger, and lots get smaller, people are finding themselves with only 10 or 20 feet of gardening area, and it’s not worth it to give over half the yard to get only one variety of fruit over the two or three week harvest season. That big size also creates a huge mess, any fruit that you don’t harvest (and there will be lots of it) will drop all over the ground, and you’ll have to clean it up. Along with that huge quantity of fallen fruit, comes baskets and baskets of picked fruit that you will never be able to use, instead you have to foist it on friends, or dump it in the trash (along with all the fallen fruit you’ve already raked up).

Fruit trees require a huge amount of maintenance, they need to be pruned every winter (usually requiring a tall ladder, and some climbing), birds need to be shooed away, and they typically have to be sprayed for fungus and pests two or three times a year (again, usually requiring a tall ladder, and climbing).

Growing fruit trees can be no fun.

So, what’s this about 1,001 varieties of Fruit Trees? After all that, there’s no way you’re going to be growing 1,001 apples unless you own a bunch of property in Washington and your name is "Macintosh"!!!

The way to grow as many varieties of fruit as you want in your own back yard (no matter how small) is not by growing Fruit Trees, it’s by growing Fruit Bushes.

Fruit Bushes are great!!! I can never stop singing the praises of fruit bushes. They’re small, so they don’t take up a lot of room. They’re low maintenance because they’re easy to reach without a 10-foot ladder. They’re not messy because they produce about a tenth of the quantity that a fruit tree does (in fact they produce about the right amount for a family of four). And they’re much easier to grow organically, because the small size makes it much easier to get in there and control fungus and pest outbreaks before they require chemical controls.

You’ve heard of these, right? Take a popular variety of fruit, graft it onto a weaker rootstock, and the size will be curtailed by the lack of vigor. These are called "Semi-Dwarfs", and they are not Fruit Bushes. In fact a "semi-dwarf" isn’t really dwarf at all, it simply grows slower, so the size is easier to control (eventually, if not pruned, it will also reach full size). Unfortunately, along with the less vigor, comes poorer quality fruit, and while fertilizing will help the fruit quality somewhat, guess what else it helps? That’s right, the tree grows faster. Semi-dwarf fruit trees are not worth the effort.

So what am I talking about?

A fruit bush is a full-sized tree! Well, a sapling of one anyways, before it actualy gets "big". By choosing a full-sized tree, we bypass all of the disease and fruit quality issues of "semi-dwarf" root stocks. Instead, we get a good, healthy, vigorous tree, errr... bush (as we’ll be getting to in a minute). Start off by picking your flavor(s). Do you want to grow apples? What varieties? Get a nice fuji or red delicous for the crispness, a nice golden variety for the sweetness, and don’t forget to get one Granny Smith (my favorite!), for the great tangy flavor. Also take a look at any pears, peaches, nectarines, cherries, plums, and anything else that catches your eye. If you need help, all of the varieties that we sell here at Fork & Spade are appropriate as fruit bushes. About the only fruit that can’t be "fruit bushed" are some tropical fruits like citrus and avocado(it is fruit!) :-). The rule of thumb is that if it goes dormant it can be used as a fruit bush, if it is everygreen, it probably can’t.

Ok, I’m sold, how do I create a "fruit bush"?

It’s actually pretty easy. You’ve got your list of fruit that you want. Write it down on a piece of paper and go outside. What you’re looking for is an area to grow your fruit trees. You need someplace with a good days sun. Any open area can hold a few fruit bushes, although long narrow areas are best (my father has over 20 varieties in the narrow side-yard between his house and the neighbor’s. He’s growing them like a hedge along the fence). Fruit bushes like sun, but many spots that seem too shady actually allow enough sun. As in my father’s case as soon as the fruit bushes gets higher than the fence, they'll be in sun all day.

Got the site all picked out, great, now order your fruit trees, and when they arrive it's time to...

...Plant and Prune!

When your fruit trees arrive, plant them and chop them back to between 24 and 36 inches above the graft (The graft is where the rootstock and the trunk have been "glued" together. There will most likely be a slight dogleg, and the bark will change color). You can plant your fruit bushes as close as 12 inches apart, or as far as 36 inches. How far apart you want them should be decided on the quantity of fruit from each bush (farther away gives more fruit per bush), and the number of varieties you want (closer together allows more varieties for the same amount of space). If you’re not planting in a single row, remember to give room for access to all the fruit bushes.

Almost any fruit tree you order from us, or purchase from a local nursery will be a few years away from maturing and bearing real quantities of fruit, so you can cut and prune the first year or two without worrying about pruning off fruiting wood (In fact it’s preferable to remove any fruit that does begin to form the first three years. This allows all the plant to pour all of it’s energy into establishing a good root system and branch structure, which will pay huge dividends down the road). This is when you develop the shape of the fruit bush. At this stage, you can either develop the plant into a fruit bush, or a espallier (We’ll discuss espalliers in another up-coming article, another reason to sign up for our newsletter!).

What you’re looking for in a fruit bush is a 6 to 8 foot high hedge, plain and simple. The way you achieve this is through a twice-a-year pruning schedule (Don't worry, twice-a-year is actually pretty easy because, again, the plants are only going to be 6 to 8 feet tall, you can even prune with a hedge trimmer!).

The key to the easy maintenance of a fruit bush is through pruning during the growing season. Generally the first pruning of the season is done when the fruit is about the size of a marble. Prune to shape (remember: like a hedge), and then thin the fruit at the same time (thinning involves removing some of the immature fruit to allow the energies of the tree to focus on a smaller quantity, producing a much better quality fruit). The second pruning is done after harvesting the fruit, again you’re trying to shape the fruit bush much like you would any hedge. A good technique to use is to string guide lines along the top and bottom corners, pruning anything that sticks out between the lines. During the rest of the growing season, all you do is shorten any branches that are getting out of hand.

So there you have it, everything you need to know about fruit bushes. Below are some links to help you get started in creating your own fruit bushes.