They Shade and Feed Our Hearts and Souls
While the presence of a fruit tree in the garden adds to the greenery, not to mention the shade which it provides, there are many factors which play a seminal role in the achievement of such a task. Growing a tree and eating its fruit is easier said than done given the number of hindrances like climate, pests, birds and the convenience of buying it from the supermarket.
Nothing elicits as much pride and pleasant feelings from a dedicated gardener like having a fruit bearing tree in the garden. This is more so if the tree is healthy and bears a yummy crop every season. Plums, peaches, citrus, feijoa, persimmons and pears are but a few of the many options that gardening enthusiasts can choose from. However, these are more preferred owing to their high yields and ease of maintenance.
Before a fruit matures and start bearing fruits, it must be well tended – improve the soil fertility of your garden and protect it from pest and diseases. Once the tree bears fruits and they start ripening, you have to figure out how to protect them from birds. There is also the issue of making sure the fruits taste good and are nourishing as fresh fruits should be.
Feijoa is the best option for home garden as it present less headache in terms of maintenance. To bring it to medium sized hedge Feijoa requires just some occasional pruning and trimming. It also has an ornamental value once it blossoms in summer, its white flowers with red stamens gives your garden that aesthetic look. In addition it is self-fertilizing and starts providing bumper harvest soon enough.
Citrus fruit tree is an equally rewarding option and apart from blending well with your green garden, its fruits are known world wide and its size fits perfectly well in your garden. In terms of maintenance, you will need a proper soil drainage system and occasional helpings of manure. With just minimum tending citrus tree will grow into a healthy tree that yields a lot of fruits.
Then there is the push-pull method of home gardening in which the plant which is prone to pests is sown amidst species which act as natural repellents to the same. Also known as trap cropping, this is an effective method of reducing the use of pesticides and chemicals on plants if an appropriate combination is hit upon by the gardener.
For an adventurous gardener ready to experiment, mixed gardening is worth trying. The concept involves combining a variety of plants that can supplement each other in terms of nutrition and pollination. This interdependent relationship improves productivity and adds to the look of the garden.
Alternatively, there is also the ‘three sisters’ concept of home gardening in which different species of neighboring plants not only help each other to grow but also provide shade and protection against predators to each other. For example, if corn and pole beans are grown according to this method the corn acts as a natural trellis while the beans maintains the level of nitrogen in the soil to the corn’s advantage.