Popular Kheti Volume -2, Issue-2 (April-June), 2014 Available Online at © 2014 Popularkheti.Info ISSN: 2321-0001
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Popular Article Popular Kheti Volume -2, Issue-2 (April-June), 2014 Available online at www.popularkheti.info © 2014 popularkheti.info ISSN: 2321-0001 Growing Fruits in Home Garden K. Usha*, B. Singh and Lal Chand Division of Fruits and Horticultural Technology, IARI, New Delhi *Email of corresponding author: [email protected] Even if you have limited space, you can still enjoy growing fresh fruits in your garden by growing fruit plants in containers. You can grow any fruit tree in a container for a few years and then transplant it. You can also choose a dwarf variety, which is well suited to living in a container. If you carefully choose the kind and varieties of a fruit before you plant, you can harvest dessert-quality fruit from early summer through the fall . Many fruit plants are aesthetically pleasing and are good for “edible landscaping.” Some fruits, such as apple, citrus, blueberries and figs, make outstanding ornamental plants. Some people find a natural setting with plants placed throughout the landscape most aesthetically pleasing. But this makes maintenance more challenging. Introduction Growing fruits at home can be fun, delightful experience and a challenging hobby. There are several good reasons to grow fruit yourself. Fruits add beautiful colour and variety to your garden. Large amounts of fruit can be grown in a relatively small area. Store-bought fruits are often picked, shipped, and sold before they are fully ripened and generally stock selections that look prettiest but are not necessarily the best tasting. In addition, fresh garden fruits are a good source of vitamins; minerals, carbohydrates, fibre (Table 1) and will provide your family with flavourful, delicious and nutritious food. As an added bonus, the fruits you grow will taste much better than the fruits you find in the grocery store. How to choose plants for home garden? There are so many different kinds of fruits and varieties available. How then to decide which to grow? The type and mix of species chosen depends on food preferences, soil and climatic conditions, availability of local materials and seeds. Start with quality. When soft berries are home-grown, flavour is outstanding and they can be harvested when fully ripe, plump, and sweet, without concern for shipping and perishability. The amount of yard space available will be another deciding factor. Most fruit trees come in varieties that are dwarf, semi-dwarf, and standard. Dwarf trees stay about 8- to 10-feet tall and are perfect for small yards. There are even dwarf fruit trees, such as columnar apples, figs, and pomegranates that fit well in containers, allowing you to move them as needed. Semi-dwarf trees grow about 10- to 15-feet tall and are more productive than dwarfs. Standard-sized trees grow 20 feet or more and are most productive. Sketch out how much room you have in your garden to determine which type of fruit tree you should plant. Another consideration is the size of the tree. Choose between growing small fruits - berries that grow on small plants, vines, or bushes - or larger Popular Kheti ISSN: 2321 -0001 30 Usha et al. , 2014, Pop. Kheti , 2(2): 30 -42 Popular Article tree fruits. Small fruit trees especially dwarf and semi dwarf varieties (Table 3) are the most exotic plants you can choose for home garden as they require minimum space and come to bearing within one or two years after planting. Their lush foliage, exotic flowers and edible fruits make captivating and enchanting home garden. Also, it is convenient to do cultural and pest control operations. Depending on water availability, gardening may be practiced year- round or limited to seasons. The length of your growing season is also important, as some cultivars require a long frost-free period to ripen fruit. Some also require a minimum number of “growing degree days” (GDDs), essentially a measure of how much warm weather you have at your site. Choose fruit plants accordingly. Now narrow down your choices to fit the space available. The first rule is, plant only fruits that you would like to eat. Then select fruits that are most suited to your area, climate (Table 2), as this will give you minimal disease problems and a better yield. Another consideration is the variety of fruit tree you're growing. When choosing cultivars, look for those with outstanding hardiness, disease resistance, and fruit quality. Many of the newer cultivars provide top quality fruits not often available in local markets. You should not plant strawberries or raspberries where crops that are susceptible to verticillium wilt have been grown (these include potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers). Choose cultivars resistant to verticillium wilt. Some fruits are easier to grow while some fruit plants require a lot of care and don’t come into full production for several years. Strawberries aren’t much harder to grow and bear fruit quickly. Most of the other fruit trees such as mango, citrus, grape, papaya, banana, apples, peaches, and pears require some knowledge and attention to pollination, pruning, spraying, fertilizing, and other kinds of care. While consulting a professional is often the best course of action to resolve any serious fruit tree problems, knowing few basics about fruit tree care can save you money and give you the satisfaction of caring your own fruit garden. Hence carefully consider selection of fruit plants, design of your planting, including arrangement, spacing, cultivar selection, number of plants, and aesthetics. Fruits trees that receive proper care will yield more good-quality fruit than fruit trees that are neglected and left as such for natural growth. Pre-Planting Care Fruit plants are most productive if you carefully match them with the proper planting site. Because it is difficult to correct nutrient deficiencies and adjust soil pH after planting, it is critical to test your soil before planting to see if you need to add lime and nutrients. Collect subsamples from several locations to provide a representative sample of the site. Send the soil samples to a nearby reliable soil testing laboratory. The soil test will report the pH, the cation exchange capacity and the amounts of various nutrients present. The soil pH is a measure of soil acidity. A pH of 7.0 is neutral; a pH below 7.0 indicates an acid soil, and a pH greater than 7.0 means that the soil is alkaline. The ideal pH range for most fruit crops is 6.0-6.5. Only the blueberry grows best in acidic soils (pH 4.0-5.5). If a soil test shows that your soil is too acidic, you need to add lime. Lime will raise the soil pH and supply needed calcium or magnesium. Do not add lime, however, unless a soil test recommends it. An excessively high soil pH can reduce the availability of phosphorus, boron, zinc, iron, and manganese. Reducing soil pH is more difficult. Adding sulphur to the soil will reduce soil pH unless the Popular Kheti ISSN: 2321 -0001 31 Usha et al. , 2014, Pop. Kheti , 2(2): 30 -42 Popular Article soil has high carbonate content. If you choose to grow blueberries in very alkaline soils, it is best to remove and replace the soil in the root zone with peat moss or other low pH organic matter. Correct the soil site problems before planting by adding amendments, organic matter or by planting cover crops about a year before planting. Growing marigolds, Sudangrass, or certain mustards (oilseed rape) for a year or two before planting fruit plants can help control certain parasitic nematodes, which are occasionally a problem in certain soils. If planting cannot be done immediately, wrap planting material in sphagnum moss or moist cloth or other material that will prevent them from drying out, and store them at a temperature just above freezing. Keep roots moist by spraying with water as needed. If planting will be delayed further, plants should be 'heeled in' by planting temporarily in loose soil as soon as possible. All fruits require well-drained soil with good water-holding capacity. Access to the necessary inputs like planting material, regular water supply, eco friendly soil and pest management, live fencing, and credit or capital for gardening from a local, sustainable source is another important element for successful gardening. Select a site that is free from frost pockets, wet spots, and exposure to strong prevailing winds and has ample sunlight for best fruit production. While gooseberries and currants perform adequately well in partial shade, other fruits require direct sun for at least six hours a day, and preferably more. But if production and ease of management are your primary goals, devote separate areas to fruit trees, small fruits, and vegetables. How far apart you space fruit trees depends in part on how you plan to maintain them. Trees pruned annually are best planted 12 to 18 feet apart. Trees pruned less regularly grow larger and need more space. Espaliered trees, pruned severely several times each year, need substantially less space, in some cases as little as 8 to 10 feet. Your growing conditions also dictate how large trees grow and how much space they need. Trees grow more quickly in very fertile, moist soil, while growth is slow in dry, sandy soils. Selecting variety Each kind of fruit tree, even each cultivar (variety), has its own climatic adaptations and limitations. Fruits like banana, pineapple and papaya are suitable for tropical climate, Stone fruits such as peach, sweet cherry, and plum will perform best in the warmer regions of temperate climatic zones (Table 2). If your place is hot and dry, choose the fruit variety that will best cope with this.