PROPERTY NEWS - Winter and spring are wonderful seasons for planting fruit trees. With the right care and sufficient sunlight, you can expect a flourishing summertime yield.
What's more, the planning and planting process is not too difficult. In fact, it can be as sweet and rewarding as eating a piece of ripe fruit!
Follow this step-by-step guide and create your own home orchard.
Head outside into your backyard, or front yard, depending on where you want to situate your orchard. Consider the size of your plot and visualise the width and breadth of your desired fruit tree layout. Will there be sufficient ground for walking space between the rows?
Do you need to trim back any surrounding garden foliage to make way for the fruit trees you want? You need to ensure your property has the potential for housing an orchard before getting to work on the actual layout and planting phase. So, spend some time working out the logistics.
Once you've given your property size the green light, and cleared any restrictive foliage that may be in the way, inspect the levelness of the land and the quality of the soil.
The ground should be flat enough to support a functional orchard, and the soil should be well-drained with a sandy, loamy texture, and rich in nutrients to support healthy tree growth. An orchard will require sufficient water, regardless of the weather, so be sure there is easy access to a water supply nearby.
Comparing fruit trees is like comparing apples and oranges - literally. Every fruit tree is different and requires a special set of care instructions. So before settling on a specific tree (or trees), ask yourself, is there a reason you want to grow these particular fruits yourself?
Questions like these will help you choose fruit trees that suit your lifestyle and serve your personal or professional goals.
In South Africa, we have hot summers and fairly warm winters, and we can plant fruit trees year-round. If you've decided on a type of fruit tree, say a lemon tree, choose a variety that is well-suited to local weather and terrain conditions.
Typically, orchards are grown in a grid format, with trees planted in rows from north to south for maximum sunlight exposure. However, you can arrange the trees in your home orchard however you see fit - in organised clusters, a general scattering, or a curved row.
Just be sure to position them in places that receive ample sunlight and have deep enough soil for root growth. And be careful when spacing the trees. Make sure they aren't planted too close to one another, as this can cause competition for root and canopy growth.
Leave a space of about 4m between trees so they can all thrive and produce bountiful yields of fruit.
