By Sarah Browning, Extension Educator in Lancaster County
Tree fruits look very appealing when paging through garden magazines and catalogs. But not all tree fruits in the catalogs do well in eastern Nebraska. Important considerations include winter hardiness, bloom time, disease resistance, growth requirements and maintenance needs to assure success in the backyard orchard.
HARDINESS
Extreme winter conditions are the biggest limiting factor for backyard tree fruits. Nebraska typically experiences periods of unseasonably warm weather in mid-winter, during which trees may begin to lose full winter hardiness. When warm periods are followed by normal winter temperatures, damage often results including death of flower or leaf buds, or damage to the tree’s bark.
Crops such as peaches, nectarines and sweet cherries frequently suffer flower death when grown in our climate. Apricots have difficulty because they bloom so early in the spring, making them very susceptible to spring frosts. Choices for the home orchard are, therefore, best made from a list that includes apples, pears, sour cherries and plums.
GROWING REQUIREMENTS
All tree fruit crops prefer full sunlight. Although they may, in fact, grow in partial shade, fruit quality will likely be lower. Choose a site with well-drained soil and elevated somewhat higher than the surrounding terrain so cool air will “drain” to lower landscape levels. This helps avoid cold-air pooling around your trees and resulting in frost damage. This is especially important during spring bloom. Soil pH ranges from 5.6 to 7.0 are best for tree fruit crops.
Keep in mind the pollination requirements of the various trees. Planting two or more different varieties assures adequate pollination and fruit set.
APPLES
Apples are the most popular backyard tree fruit for this area. There are many cultivars available, with variation in time of ripening and best use (cooking, eating or both). Scab immune (SI) varieties are resistant to apple scab disease. Plan on at least two varieties in the planting to assure cross-pollination.
Consider the following cultivars with good resistance to both cedar-apple rust and apple scab — Enterprise, Freedom and Liberty.
PEARS
Requirements for pears are very similar to apples, although insect and fungus disease problems may not be as severe. Pear production is limited somewhat by a disease called fireblight, which can also occur on apples. Pears with good resistance to fireblight include Moonglow, Magness, Luscious, Harrow Sweet, Harrow Delight, Starking Delicious and Harvest Queen.
PLUMS
Plums will grow in this area, but European types are suggested over Japanese types and hybrids. European trees typically bloom later, suffer less flower damage from spring frost and are more reliable producers. Plant any two European types for cross-pollination. The most serious problem with plums in our area is black knot disease, which is difficult to control. Cultivars include Earliblue and Damson.
TART CHERRIES
Sweet cherries will not do well in this area, but tart varieties do. All are called self-fruitful, which means cross-pollination is not needed. The best traditional tree cultivars for Nebraska include Montmorency, North Star and Balaton.
But also consider the bush cherry cultivars Carmine Jewel, Crimson Passion, Juliet and Romeo.
CONSIDER MATURE TREE SIZE
Finally, keep in mind both pest control and pruning are regular maintenance practices needed to grow fruit trees. Regular pruning will assure a strong framework for the tree, so it can support a load of fruit. In addition, regular pruning keeps trees productive, assures good airflow through the tree and makes it easier to work in the tree.
Many fruit trees are available on dwarfing rootstocks. Use of these trees is great for growers with limited space. Plus smaller tree size makes pruning, harvesting and pest control easier.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
• Article by Sarah Browning, “Columnar Apples – Growing Fruits in the Small Home Orchard” at https://go.unl.edu/columnar-apples.
• Nebraska Extension NebGuide, “Fruit Tree Cultivars for Nebraska” (G1005) at https://go.unl.edu/fruit-tree-cultivars.
• Article by Sarah Browning, “Bush Cherries – A Game-changer for the Home Orchard” at https://go.unl.edu/bush-cherries.