5 Reasons Some Gardeners Regret Planting Fruit Trees

Some People regret having fruit trees in their garden even though they are the best part of any property. Here are the 5 most common reasons why.

1. They don't know how to prune them

A new fruit tree that is planted in the right climate can grow quickly and will need pruning after the first growing season of its new life in your garden. It might not need much, but establishing a good structure when the tree is young is one of the most important things you can do to ensure success. Many gardeners procrastinate pruning young fruit trees because they don't know where to start, or are afraid of doing more harm than good. If you fall into this category, please take our Free 9 part fruit tree pruning course by following this link.

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2. They don't know how to control pests

Many organisms like, insects, birds, deer, fungi, and bacteria love fruit trees as much as you and I. Unfortunately, if these organisms get a strong hold on your tree before harvest time, you will be discouraged or frustrated and you might even regret planting a fruit tree in your garden. Pest control in fruit trees can be a complex thing to learn about. If you are frustrated with pests destroying your fruit or your fruit trees, please join our Backyard Fruit Growers Facebook Group. This is a great network of knowledgeable individuals that have probably dealt with the same pests that you are fighting in your orchard and can probably help you find a solution to your challenges.

3. Their trees don't produce fruit

Nothing can be more frustrating than planting a fruit tree, pruning it, and caring for it and then not even be rewarded for your efforts. It's like working a job and not getting paid. There are many reasons why your fruit tree might not be producing. Follow this link to learn more about why your fruit tree might not be producing fruit.

4. Their trees produce too much fruit

I know this sounds weird to most of you reading this, but some gardeners regret planting their fruit trees because they produce too much fruit. The only reason I bring this up is because I have, on multiple occasions removed, after desperately trying to talk people out of it, mature fruit trees for customers that decided they didn't like having a fruit trees. They actually saw the fruit as a burden.

If you eat fresh your fill of fruit and then can, dry or freeze more than you can eat in a year and you still have cases of fruit, you might regret planting fruit trees. I know some of you can give away or sell your excess fruit, but for some of you introverts, finding a willing and appreciative person to take extra fruit off your hands is more work than it's worth, especially if it's blemished or bug eaten. Most people are conditioned to seeing perfectly sized, cleaned, polished fruit in a supermarket and don't know what to do with home grown fruit.

If you just leave excess fruit on a tree, it can attract unwanted pests like wasps, worms, or maggots. This might even increase your pest pressure the following season. Some gardeners have fruit trees next to pools, ponds, patios, or driveways and the extra fruit falling from the tree can be a real mess.

5. Their trees take too long to mature

I can't count how many times customers have ask if I can plant a large fruit tree that is already producing fruit. Although such a thing does exist, they are really hard to come by, especially post-Covid. The reason I discourage people from planting large fruit trees is three fold.

First, large fruit trees have either been root bound in a pot for too long and have developed permanent root problems, or they are balled and burlapped. Ball and burlap trees have been harvested from a field and the roots have been cut in-order to make the tree a manageable size to ship, and plant. Unless the trees were properly root pruned a year before harvest, they will take a long time to grow enough roots to re-establish and start growing again. Often times a smaller tree will out grow a larger one that had it's roots severed in the field. 

The second reason I discourage customers from planting large fruit trees is because they are usually grown in a different climate from where they are planted. If you take a fruit tree that was grown in the Pacific North West, for example, and ship it to the Desert South West, your tree will have a really hard time adjusting to it's new environment. Smaller trees will adjust faster and better in the above example than will large trees. 

Lastly, Large fruit are expensive to buy, expensive to ship, expensive to plant, and as you can see from the other two reasons stated above, expensive to maintain and get re-established in their new home. My favorite type of fruit tree to plant is a 1 inch bare root tree planted in the early spring when it's still dormant. It's amazing how quickly they establish themselves and start growing.

Thanks for Reading! If you would like to learn more about the care and pruning of fruit trees, please browse our 100+ fruit tree articles here, join our Backyard Fruit Growers Facebook Group, and take our free Fruit Tree Pruning Course. Also, please subscribe to our Fruit Pruning YouTube Channel.