How to grow fruit trees at home
Growing fruit trees in your own home can give you a lot of satisfaction, enabling you to eat organic fruit, free of pesticides, grown by yourself. This guide will show you how to grow fruit trees at home from seeds or from the fruit itself.
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Do you have a balcony or a terrace and want to grow fruit trees? All you need is a little patience, good soil and some seeds, or better yet fruit leftovers. Some fruit trees are in fact easily grown in pots and can grow with great success from the seeds of the plant itself.
If you are planning on growing fruit trees in the home, do not miss our practical guide that will show you all the tricks and tips required to get fresh fruit from the ground up.
How to grow fruit trees from seeds?
If we decide to grow trees from seeds, remember that summer is the best time to put away the stones of the fruit you want, preserve and replant during the fall and winter. In all likelihood you will begin to see the seedlings sprout during the following spring, after the process called ‘wintering’.
There are a lot of fruit trees that grow easily in pots or other containers from seeds: peach, apricot, loquat and cherry trees just to name a few. For these varieties no grafting is particularly necessary, and although this will result in smaller fruiting, it won’t stop you from getting your fresh and tasty goods.
To cultivate fruit trees from the pits it’s important to gently clean the seeds by removing any debris and store them in a cool, dry and sufficiently ventilated place out of reach for direct sunlight before you can plant them. The vessels must be at least 20 CM in diameter and 30 CM in depth, filled with 50 liters of good universal soil, 50 liters of soil fertilizer enriched with volcanic lapilli or similar drainage material.
The seed of the fruit that you intend to grow must be planted a few centimeters down from the surface of the soil and in some cases you might want to scratch and scruff it up to simplify and fasten the process of germination. Once sprouted, the plant must be protected from temperature changes and frosting, make sure you water it regularly and as always- avoid excessive watering or stagnation.
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The cultivation of fruit trees from a seed requires a little care, but a lot of patience: in most cases the first fruits begin to appear after 3 or 4 years and the size of the plant will need to be contained through careful pruning.
The appropriate plant to grow fruit trees indoors
As we explained, being able to grow fruit trees in pots from seeds is not mission impossible. To increase the chances of success, however, you might want to select the most appropriate varieties for cultivation on your balcony or terrace and the climate of the place in which we live. In general, we can say that the fruit trees are easier to cultivate.
Peaches
Among all the fruit trees that you can grow at home, peach is one of the most appropriate plants because it blooms in beautiful pale pink flowers, aside from the production of tasty fruits. It’s also a self-fertile plant, so it doesn’t need pollinator of any variety.
If you want to grow a tree such as peach, it’s more convenient to opt out for a dwarf type tree, which doesn’t exceed 2 meters in height. You’ll need a 50 CM pot in diameter, filled up with clay and peat (turf). Plant the seed 2 CM down from the surface and water it occasionally to keep the ground from drying out.
The peach trees love direct sunlight, but be aware of strong wind and temperature fluctuations, that may block the development of the tree and roots.
Apricots
Bury the seed from the apricot down to 5 CM in depth. You can use a whole seed or one with a slightly scratched up surface. The planting must take place in the fall or winter, and the map should appear in the following spring. To manage this fragile phase better, you can plant the seed in a smaller container and wait for the development of roots and then move it to a larger pot.
Remember- plant one single seed per pot.
After about 4 years, the plant should start to bear fruit: during the spring you will see the flowers appear and the first apricots, which will mature around June.
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Cherry trees
Cultivating cherry trees is not exactly the easiest, but the delicacy of its red fruits makes it worth trying. The timing of germination of the seeds may be quite long compared to those of other fruit trees (up to a year), but do not be discouraged, as we said- it takes patience.
To increase the chances of seeing a plant, bury a dozen semi clean and dry seeds 2 centimeters down in the ground. Again, scruff up the surface to soften it.
For this variety of wood-like material, the best season for planting the seeds is either during the fall or the winter.
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Loquat
If the cherry is too big of a deal for you, everything will become easier when you try cultivating a loquat tree using its polished stone. Once extracted the seed, put it in a jar filled with universal soil, only 1 CM from the surface. You could use a plastic cup as well, even a can or a plastic jar from yogurt, with a couple drainage holes on the bottom. The medlar seed can be buried or left to dry out in a cool place and later used in the fall.
Avoid exposing the jar to direct sunlight until you see some sprouting take place. When it grows into the container, the plant is ready to be moved in a larger one. Typically the medlar tree begins producing fruit after 5 or 6 years.
Whatever you choose to grow, remember one thing- use the proper container size depending on the plant and its development. If you have patience and tenacity, growing trees in the balcony will become a rewarding and enjoyable experience that will compensate your efforts with good, genuine, home-made fruit.
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