Pretty on the eye and pleasing on the palate. Fruit trees make the perfect multi-functional addition to any garden. There are so many benefits to growing fruit trees in your garden and once you get started, it's a low maintenance solution to keeping your fruit bowl fully stocked and organic.
Before getting started on your fruit tree project, it's important to know which seasons you should get planting, and why. It's also important to know which types of fruit grow on evergreen and deciduous trees. Let’s talk through the best times to plant fruit trees per season in Australia.
All Green Nursery have a wide range of trees for every garden, with next day delivery available in select Melbourne suburbs.
Deciduous trees and evergreen trees
Before delving into the best times to plant fruit trees, it’s useful to outline the difference between deciduous and evergreen trees.
- Deciduous trees are flowering trees that lose their leaves in Autumn.
- Evergreen trees keep their leaves all year around.
Fruit trees to plant in summer
Summer is the season for evergreen fruit trees. Sunshine warms the soil up, which acts as the perfect environment for citrus fruits such as lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits and cumquats to thrive.
Here's a comprehensive list of what to plant in summer:
- Oranges (Evergreen)
- Lemons (Evergreen)
- Persimmons (Deciduous)
- Pomegranates (Deciduous, evergreen in tropical areas)
- Grapefruits (Evergreen)
- Nectarines (Deciduous)
Fruit trees to plant in autumn
As citrus fruit trees are evergreen, they can continue to thrive in autumn, so autumn is also a good time to plant citrus fruit trees. Deciduous fruit trees may begin to shed in autumn so it is not the optimal time to plant stone bearing (deciduous) fruit trees.
As well as the above list, you can also stand to plant the following species in autumn:
- Apples (Deciduous)
- Plums (Deciduous)
- Pears (Deciduous)
- Cherries (Deciduous)
- Peaches (Deciduous)
Fruit trees to plant in winter
Deciduous fruit trees (such as pears, apples, nectarines, cherries peaches and plums) are best planted in winter, especially when they can be planted bare rooted. Evergreen trees can also be planted in Winter.
- Persimmons (Deciduous)
- Avocados (Semi-deciduous)
- Jaboticaba fruit (Evergreen)
- Guava (Evergreen)
- Olives (Evergreen)
- Lychee (Evergreen)
- Durian (Evergreen)
- Jackfruit (Evergreen)
- Cashew (Evergreen)
Fruit trees to plant in Spring
Spring is a season that also works for evergreen fruit trees as the soil will begin to warm up in Spring.
- Mangoes (Evergreen)
- Apricots (Deciduous)
- Coconuts (Evergreen)
- Almonds (Deciduous)
- Mulberries (Deciduous)
- Peaches (Deciduous)
- Figs (Deciduous)
[content_aside]Summary: All fruit trees can be planted in winter. Deciduous trees must be planted in winter whereas evergreen trees can also be planted in spring and summer.[/content_aside]
Benefits of growing your own fruit and veggies
There are many benefits to growing your own fruits and vegetables in your garden all year 'round, including:
- Access to organic produce
- Fewer runs to the supermarket
- Less plastic use
- Control over the entire process including fertilizers, pesticides and water
- A relaxing hobby and sense of satisfaction
- A reduction in food costs
- Increased biodiversity in your garden
What you'll need for successful fruit trees
- All fruit trees need regular and consistent sunlight to thrive.
- Fruit trees need good drainage and enough space to grow.
- Surface soil should be soft and deep with a PH between 5.8 and 6.5.
- Fruit trees should be protected from the wind, ensure that you plant your trees in a calm part of your garden.
- Not all fruit trees can be planted from a single seed. Certain fruit trees, such as pears and apples need to be planted in pairs so they can cross-pollinate.
- Some fruit trees thrive in containers, such as cherries, apples, nectarines, tangerines, lemons and limes.
- Remember that "Rome wasn't built in a day". It can take some time to see the fruits of your labour! It can take anywhere between one to ten years to see fruits beginning to bloom!
- If you are beginner, are unsure about how to get started, remember that there are so many easy to understand resources on the All Green website to help you on your way. You can also bring your questions to the experts at All Green via phone call or by dropping in.
All Green Nursery & Garden stocks a number of fruit trees including:
- Apple gala trees
- Lemon trees
- Lime trees
- Pomegranate trees
- Avocado trees
- Fig Brown Turkey
- Fruit and citrus trees
