Almost anyone with a small yard can grow at least one or two fruit trees. Since the 
spacing of fruit trees is a critical issue, the size of your yard will determine whether you should grow dwarf trees or standard size. If you have a large area, you can grow dwarf or standard size trees, or both if you prefer.
You could conceivably grow as many as six dwarf fruit trees in a 10 x 20 foot space. Although dwarf trees require less growing space, they will produce normal size fruit – or certain varieties produce even larger than standard size fruits.
Speaking of varieties, you have a wide choice of delicious dwarf fruits to grow in your yard. Here are just a few:
Red delicious apple.
Yellow delicious apple.
North Star cherry.
Nectarine.
Peach.
Pear.
Check with your local nursery for varieties that will perform well in your planting zone.
Of course, if you have a huge yard with plenty of sunny locations, you can plant standard size fruit trees and enjoy the “fruits” of your labor for years to come.
But, what about dwarf trees? These growth-limited scion/rootstock combinations begin to bear fruit – usually within two to three years from planting – compared to six to eight years for the standard size trees. Also, because they put more energy into production, and less into growth than standard trees, they consistently produce heavier crops, and often larger size fruits. Not to mention, easier to maintain, harvest, and prune.
Some Planting Hints:
Make sure your new tree will get plenty of sunshine.
Dig a good big hole at least twice as big around as the root ball of your tree. Mix in some Organic Fertilizer and topsoil before placing the tree into the hole. Cover the roots and water, then add more dirt and water again, and repeat until the roots are covered and the graft on the trunk is just above ground level.
Wrap the trunk with tape made especially for trees – this will prevent mice and rabbits from chewing the bark around the tree.
If your yard is visited by deer, you have your work cut out for you, but it is possible to deter deer from munching on your trees. Some people hang mesh bags filled with human hair. That might work unless the deer are familiar with your scent, and know they have nothing to fear from you. A liquid deer repellant that works quite well smells like rotten eggs. You can tie rags on the branches of your trees and soak the rags with the repellant. Repeat after each rain. Or, just spray the repellant on the tree.
Use plenty of mulch around the base of your new trees. This will help to keep weeds from growing, and also prevents the soil from drying out between waterings. Use dry leaves, straw, hay, grass clippings, pine needles, newspapers, etc. for your mulch.
Twice a year, spray the tree with insecticide, using only organic sprays.
Enjoy the smell of the blossoming trees, and enjoy the bees busy pollinating your trees for you. But, most of all enjoy your harvest.
