Today’s Garden Ideas | How To Get A Free Supply Of Fruit In A Quarter Of The Space

How To Get A Free Supply Of Fruit In A Quarter Of The Space

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Using wooden barrels or other containers, you too can have fresh fruit from your dwarf fruit trees. Placing bright blooms around your dwarf fruit trees can bring this wooden barrel container garden to life and add some brilliant color to your patio or front doorway.

Preparation and Planting

To begin be sure your wooden barrels or other containers have plenty of drainage. Add about 1 1\2 inches of gravel to the bottom of your wooden barrel and fill up the wooden barrel container about 1\2 way with a mixture of compost,
topsoil, and sand in equal amounts. Plant your dwarf fruit tree in the center of the wooden barrel container. Be sure to keep the crown of your dwarf fruit tree a few inches about the final soil level. Spread out the roots as you set the dwarf fruit tree into the soil.

Planting Design

For this design try using as the dwarf fruit tree a peach tree. Once the peach tree has been planted in your wooden barrel container plant strawberries on each side of the dwarf peach tree and one at the front of the wooden barrel container. These plants will spill over the sides and with their bright red berries will be quite dramatic. At the
rear of the wooden barrel plant 2 Marigolds on either side of the peach tress. Add some Nierembergias on each side of the Marigolds. Plant Gazanias next to the strawberries and set them close to the rim so they can cascade over the
sides of the wooden barrel tub. Finally plant Dahlias on either side of the strawberries and water thoroughly. Fill low spots with the remaining soil and add a layer of mulch. Use a soaker ring to water the plants.

This design is quite beautiful and fairly easy to care for. The strawberries will provide a lovely trailing growth of green and red over the sides of the wooden barrel tub. Be sure to pinch off the strawberry runner so the plant will
grow bigger fruit. Marigolds have warm hues of gold and will bloom all summer. Nierembergias has masses beautiful deep purple flowers. Gazanias look like daisies and come in several different colors like red, pink, bronze, gold, white or orange. Dahlias are a gorgeous bloom that comes is several different styles and colors. Don’t forget to deadhead the flowers for continuous blooming. For large peaches on your peach tree thin to allow about 6 inches between the peach tree fruit. This will encourage the peach tree to put more energy into making the peaches larger. In autumn after the leaves fall off the peach tree spray with a lime-sulfur spray and repeat in spring just before the buds open.

Other Plant Options

Some dwarf fruit trees like the orange tree will do best when grown along in their wooden barrel container. When the dwarf fruit tree like the orange tree is the only plant in the tub it does not have to compete for water and nutrients
with other plants. Try the Washington Navel orange tree for a glorious crop of oranges.

Another dwarf fruit tree that does well in a wooden barrel tub is the lemon tree. By placing the container near your kitchen you have quick access to make homemade lemonade all summer. As accents of color try surrounding the lemon
tree with bright pink geraniums. The effect is quite spectacular with the yellow or the lemon tree against the fuchsia pink of the geraniums.

Some dwarf fruit trees are prized not for their fruit but there elegant blooms. The dwarf crabapple tree has beautiful white bloom that cascade down off of the crabapple tree branches. To keep the beauty of the white color throughout this design try planting white pansies around the crabapple tree. It makes for a sophisticated serene effect.