Three years ago, my family and I planted in our back yard five fruit-bearing trees: cherry, peach, apple, sugar plum, plum, and asian pear. Three years have passed since, and we have been blessed with an abundant harvest of fruit! The trees mature within three years of their planting and bear ambrosial fruit once mature. Delicious!

Where to Buy Yearling Fruit Trees:

Cultivated fruit trees that are ready for planting can usually be bought from plant nurseries in the Fall, but personally, we bought our yearling trees from our local Costco in Washington. The recommended trees to buy are cherry, plum, apple, sugar plum, and asian pear. These trees grow well on their own and even amateur gardeners can take care of them. Cherry trees bear tons of great fruit in the spring and the golden plums that grow from our plum tree in the summer are so very sweet!! This year, our apple and pear trees bloomed. The apples have not been picked yet, as they still need some time to grow, but the pears are ripe orbs, and we are enjoying them right now.

We do have a peach tree, but they are rather difficult to grow. Although the fruit is scrumptious, so far, we have not had much success with warding off diseases that attack only peach trees. Peach trees grow very well during their first years in the soil, but the help of some pesticides are needed. However, using pesticides means that the peaches from this tree will no longer be organic.

Although we had a lot of success with our trees, the climate of your state is also a variable to consider. Rain with a neutral pH is a must: acid rain will quickly kill your yearling trees. Wet and rainy states like Washington (it rains almost every morning) is a perfect planting ground for your orchard.

Instructions on how to plant your trees should come with your purchase. Make sure you plant your trees where there is plenty of space for them to grow! Children will have great fun digging the holes and inserting the roots! 

If you want more help with planting fruit trees and applying pesticide, etc, please reference the sites at the bottom of the page under Links! The Fruit Tree Publications website is full of information to help you out!

Top & Bottom: apples dangling on our apple tree, Center: dozens of pears ready for picking

Reasons to Start your Own Orchard:

It's pretty obvious. Within a few years, you'll have supremely delicious fruits. If you avoid using pesticides and fertilizers, you can easily grow organic fruits. Many farms are no longer run by families and use chemicals to grow fruits that you eat. Basically, by eating a non-organic fruit, you are also getting a load of chemicals. Brand-run farms overuse fertilizers, and the excess fertilizer runs off into rivers, streams, and drains, polluting our water sources and killing organisms.

It's simply amazing to watch the trees thicken and mature, then to see them blossom. The trees add a scenic touch to your home and are beautiful additions to your backyard. Visitng the garden when you're upset really places a blanket of tranquility on you and calms you down, too.

Also, the price of your home can be increased with fruit-bearing trees. It's an attractive and exciting aspect to your home, after all.

It soon becomes a tradition to visit the orchard once in awhile to check up on the growth of the trees. Even adults will be thrilled when the first fruits start to grow on the branches. My mother and I love our orchard with a passion. Since planting the fruit trees, we have also planted a strawberry vine and two grape vines.

Also, growing your own fruit instead of buying from stores is definitely beneficial to your wallet. The fruit trees will quickly pay for themselves in both money, deliciousness, and family tradition!

However, be warned! Within a few years, fruit trees grow... and grow... and grow! Neglected fruit trees that are not cared for and trimmed properly will become a nuisance to you and your family. Fallen fruit will rot, attracting unwanted insects such as yellow jackets, and large fruit (such as apples) rolling under your feet can become slipping hazards. Know how big your tree will grow and how much maintenance it will require before you buy or plant them! Do your research, or within a few years, you could have a big nuisance.

Top: our peach tree that blooms in summer, Center:  our out of season cherry tree. Bottom: our plum tree that has the best tasting fruit.

A Picture Perfect Garden:

Here are some pictures of our orchard now- the birds frequent our garden. Besides our little orchard, we also have parsley and two varieties of mint growing wild in another section of our backyard. We are now considering making room for a blueberry bush (we have so much overgrown mint that needs to be cleared).

Top: stepping stones lead up to a bench, Center: our flourishing strawberry plant, Bottom: two grape vines sitting side by side

Top: windblown mint (chocolate mint and spearmint), Center: sugar plum halve, Bottom: curly parsley sprigs

Have fun starting your own orchard!