Fruit Tree Container Gardens
Who doesn't relish an apple off the tree? It is surprisingly easy to grow a fruit tree in a pot. Plant one and savor blossom in spring, fruit in autumn and frosted winter branches.
Fruit trees make great specimen plants for the patio. They look equally good on their own, or underplanted with other fruits such as strawberries, or with small flowering bedding plants.
Most types of fruit tree are suitable for container cultivation, given the proper care and attention. Apples, apricots, cherries, figs, nectarines, peaches, pears and plums may all be grown as bushes or standards, or trained as fans and espaliers against a sunny wall.
When buying fruit trees choose varieties that have been grown on a dwarfing rootstock and are suitable for growing in a restricted area. And keep an eye open for cultivars that have been specially raised for patio culture; new varieties are being introduced all the time with today's smaller gardens in mind.
When planting a fruit tree, you may need to group more than one variety to ensure cross-pollination and guarantee a good crop. Alternatively, choose a self-fertile variety: these always have the term 'self-fertile' within their name, such as the plum, 'self-fertile Victoria' or the pear 'self-fertile Conference'.
Instead, you could plant a family tree, where two or more varieties of a fruit tree, capable of pollinating one another, have been grafted on to the same rootstock. Family trees provide an excellent way of producing more than one kind of a particular fruit without cultivating several plants. A family apple, for example, could give you an early eater, a late eater and a cooker all on one tree.
Caring for Trees
When you are planting a fruit tree, use a large, stout container -- at least 60cm (24in) in diameter. Your young tree may look lost in such a large pot when you first plant it, but it will grow quickly and will need lots of space to develop.
Wood, stone or imitation stone tubs are preferable to ceramic pots, which may crack as the plant's roots expand. Plastic is not ideal for long-term planting either, as it does not offer enough insulation against extreme temperatures. Plant up your container in its intended finished position: once it is filled with compost and the tree, it will probably be too heavy to move with ease.
Place plenty of crocks in the base of the pot and plant your tree in John Innes No.3 compost, which contains enough fertilizer to get the sapling established in its first season. Be careful not to bury the rootstock in the compost or the tree could lose its dwarf character.
Stand the pot on feet or bricks to keep the drainage holes clear. This will also stop water from pooling underneath and turning to ice in the winter, which could damage the roots. Finish with a thick layer of mulch to prevent the compost from drying out.
During the tree's first season, water moderately. Once established, it will dry out more rapidly and should be watered thoroughly at least once a day in hot weather. Every spring, sprinkle on a slow-release feed and water it in well.
Once the fruit starts to form, feed every week with a tomato or other high potash liquid fertilizer until it is ready for picking.
Pruning Fruit Trees
Container-grown apples and pears should be pruned in late summer or early autumn by shortening back the side shoots made that season to three or four leaves. Fruiting spurs will eventually form at these positions.
Apricots, cherries, figs, nectarines peaches and plums grown in pots as bushes or as short standards are best left unpruned -- although you may want to trim off some of the shoots to maintain the plant in good shape. In the unlikely event of a branch dying, it should be cut back to healthy wood immediately.