It is essential that every fruit tree in your yard is suitable for the climate, soil and location in which it is placed. A great variety of fruit trees can be grown in Melbourne’s temperate climate, including at least two types of banana if they’re in a warm, protected spot.

General Tips

• Most fruit trees prefer a full day’s sun (or close to it) throughout Spring, Summer and early Autumn.  Fruit will not ripen if it does not receive enough sunlight.
• Most fruit trees prefer to be in a wind-protected spot, and a spot where they will not be effected by frost in early Spring.
• Fruit trees do not like to compete with grasses in their root-zone.  Mulch or ground-cover plants should be placed beneath fruit trees.  Alternatively, you can use chickens to keep the grass down.
• In their establishing years, fruit trees will require regular watering in Spring and Summer.
• All fallen fruit must be quickly picked up and either used or composted.  This is to prevent pest insects from building up.   Alternatively, if you have chickens, let chickens run beneath your fruit trees to eat the fallen fruit and convert them to a great fertiliser.
• Most fruit trees do not like heavy clay soils, as they do not drain well and can cause roots to rot.  Before planting, mix compost through the soil in and around the planting hole. Build up a mound of loose friable free draining soil (once again including lots of compost) in which to plant the fruit tree.  It helps to shape the mound like a volcano with a crater in the middle so water doesn't run off. In some cases digging in drainage trenches filled with gravel is a good idea.
• Very sandy soils are also problematic, as they hold less moisture and nutrients for the trees.  Once again solutions can be found in good compost.  Dig a deep hole and mix compost through the soil below and around your new plant.  Mulch heavily.  You'll need to water more regularly, but once established your fruit trees will do fine.
• Lavender and rosemary shrubs, and a range of daisies are great to plant near fruit trees to attract pollinating bees and other good insects, while deterring pest insects.  Warrigal greens (also known as native spinach) can form an edible, grass suppressing ground cover, and comfrey is a top-notch nutrient cycler we use extensively.
• For that shady spot in your yard, currants and tamarillo will still supply fruit if placed in a partially shaded position.  Keep in mind also, that among fruit trees apples are more shade (and wet-soil) tolerant than most.

Deciduous Fruit Trees

Deciduous trees are ones that grow and fruit in Spring and Summer, drop their leaves in Autumn, and are bare in Winter.  Such fruit trees include apples, plums, nectarines, peaches, grapes and pears. Generally, deciduous fruit trees:

• Are best planted in mid-Winter while they are dormant.  You can buy them cheaply as ‘bare-rooted’ trees at this time.  They may struggle in their first year if they are planted at different times
• Are available as dwarf trees, reaching only 3m in height – great for small backyards.  Dwarf trees can be grown in a large pot if they are pruned well.
• Do not need to be fertilised or watered between mid-Autumn and mid-Winter – they are asleep in these months. Fertilise in late Winter.
• Depending on your situation, it's likely that you'll have to prune to contain or shape the tree, or to stimulate new fruiting growth.  Traditionally fruit trees were pruned in late Winter while dormant, however it's now popular to prune in late Summer. See Pruning: A Practical Guide by Rodger Elliot, published by Lothian Books, 1993 or hire the VEG team to prune your fruit trees for you.
• Are often grown in a vase shape (with inward facing branches removed), so that all branches receive a good amount of sunlight, and do not rub against each other.
• Can be grown along three horizontal wires (eg. Along a fence or a wall) – this is called espaliering.  See The Australian Fruit and Vegetable Garden by Clive Blazey and Jane Varkulevicius, published by The Diggers Club, 2006.
• May require a cross-pollinating tree to be planted nearby (read the label and ask at the nursery.)
• We are fans of an approach to backyard orchards called Backyard Orcharding.  Read an excellent article about it here.  A central idea we use in almost all our orchards is multiplanting (up to four fruit trees in the same hole as an alternative to multi-grafted trees).

Citrus Trees

This includes lemons, oranges, lime and mandarins.  Generally, citrus trees:

• Will fruit all year round, or for extended periods.
• Need to be placed in a sunny spot, where they will also receive Winter sun.
• Like to be fertilised in late Winter.  Citrus trees are heavy feeders so fertilise well, and fertilise more often if the tree is looking stressed.
• Require little or no pruning.
• Prefer a soil with good drainage – slightly sandy is ideal.

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This is a five-year old orchard we designed in Melbourne's Eastern Suburbs.