Easy to Grow Fruit and Nut Trees

Fruit-bearing trees can be labor-intensive. Apples are a good example. While growing apples at home organically is certainly possible, most apple varieties require regular spraying with pesticides and fungicides, regular and careful pruning, and a level of commitment to care and intervention that many homeowners find tiresome after a year or two.

Not all fruit and nut trees require intensive care and toxic chemicals to thrive, however. All of the following trees and shrubs are hardy in agricultural zones 4 through 6, and all of them grow vigorously even under conditions of benign neglect. All produce edible fruits or nuts after only a two to thee years, if not sooner.

The American Hazelnut

American Hazelnuts are small deciduous trees that grow to a maximum height of 20 feet or so. Hazelnuts are extremely winter-hardly and will grow in almost any soil, although they do not like to be waterlogged. The leaves are broad and almond-shaped with serrated edges and turn deep yellow to burnt orange in autumn. In early February Hazelnuts bloom with little yellow catkins (which later will turn into nuts), making them one of the few shrubs that actually produce flowers in the snow. Hazelnuts are easy to crack open and grow prolifically once established. They can be roasted in a shallow pan in the oven, or chopped and browned in butter for use in baking or as a topping for meat or fish. Highly nutritious, hazelnuts require very little in the way of preparation or care, and they keep well too.

The Serviceberry

Also known as the American Amelanchier, or June Berry Tree, the Serviceberry is quickly gaining popularity as a landscape ornamental because of the delicate, copious white blossoms that come on in late spring. The Serviceberry is a native American understory tree, meaning it grows naturally in woodlands under larger trees alongside other small flowering shrubs like dogwoods and ironwoods, Deep blue fruits that come on in summer are edible and nutritious. The fruits look and taste a lot like blueberries. Most prolific when the tree gets full morning sun, Serviceberries attract all manner of birds and wildlife to the yard, especially if a birdbath and feeder is stationed nearby.

The American Elderberry

The elderberry is actually a large shrub native to North American woodlands. The Elderberry bears huge clusters of tiny white blossoms in late spring and clusters of dark blue to purple berries in late summer or early fall. Elderberries grow wild in many parts of North America, in woodland areas and along roadsides in outlying areas. Domestic cultivars bred for optimal fruit production or for various decorative qualities are widely available through garden centers and nurseries. The elderberry shrub is very hardy and may need to be pruned occasionally to keep it attractive, but do not prune it into a little cube every year. Over-pruning will harm the beauty and productivity of the vigorous shrub. Cut out deadwood in very early spring and cut back lightly in late fall if necessary. Nothing more is necessary.

The Currant

Currants are small berries that ripen in mid-spring on large, native shrubs that are bushy and attractive in their own right. Currants come in many colors, from white to pink, to deep red, to bluish-purple, and grow in clusters of tiny fruits. Delicious eaten raw, baked into pies or muffins, or made into jams or jellies, they can be easily dried without any special equipment, either by laying them atop cheesecloth in the sun or baking them at a very low temperature in the oven. The dried fruits can be stored in tightly lidded jars and used in cooking like raisins or prunes. Currants are very easy to grow and quite prolific, bur mildew resistant strains are recommended in humid climates.

Right Plant, Right Place

Although all the fruit and nut plants listed here are native to North America, cold hardy, and easy to grow, success depends in large part on proper placement and adequate care the first year. Choose a spot that fits the plants specific growth habits, and water well until the roots have been well established. Then, sit back and wait for that first crop. Few activities are more satisfying than picking and eating food grown right from the home landscape, and anyone can do it.

Sources

“Growing Dwarf Fruit and Nut Trees,” by Robert Kourik, Mother Earth News, March/April 1986.

“Choosing and Planting Fruit and Nut Trees,” San Antonio Express News, 2004.