mini patio fruit trees

sortofwinning

Hi, has anybody had success with patio fruit trees? The sort of thing I'm talking about is here:


http://www.gardens4you.co.uk/index.php?/Apple-Trees/Mini-Apple-Tree-Malus-Yellow-Spur-1-tree&gclid=CI-6lsq8is4CFcW4GwodMFAGdQ#.V5PazeQltMt


I would love to get some mini fruit trees but would only do it if it was worth the money. If there's anybody who has tried these, could you tell me (1) do you get a reasonable yield, and (2) do they bear fruit again in subsequent years or are they little mutant trees that can't survive the winter or anything?


I'm not very green fingered but I'm trying to learn.


Thanks in advance.

malebolge

I've tried them and not had much success at all. When you say 'is it worth the money' - do you mean is it cheaper than buying fruit in a shop, because the answer to that is no. You also have to factor in the cost of containers and compost as well as the trees. I've only had mine 3 years, so the yield might be higher in subsequent years, but I very much doubt it. This year I have 6 plums on my patio plum tree. Last year I had 2. one fell off and the other tasted sour. My peach tree has, for the second year, lost nearly all its leaves and has no fruit. My cherry tree had cherries, but the birds have eaten every one. That leaves my mini apple. It had a decent amount of blossom, and is showing a few small fruits, but they look a bit misshapen. I'm not giving up on them, and they have survived 2 winters, but it's more a labour of love rather than doing it for a good yield. In contrast, my full sized apple & plum trees, planted in the ground, produce loads of fruit.

DaftyDuck

I grow several, and have had them for years now. As above, there's no point growing them if you want bounteous fruit crop, but they are highly decorative, entertaining, and fun.

I do get peaches, and they are tasty. Apricots tend to split and rot, cherries feed the birds, nectarines just get blight, apples are tasteless, and pears hard.

The blossom is very pretty......

sortofwinning

Hmm. Think I'll have to give them a miss then. I was really trying to do it for money saving reasons and it looks like that would be unsuccessful. I just loved the idea of wandering out to the garden to pick a few apples for the week.


Maybe one day if I get a better paying job....

andrewf75

Do you have somewhere you can plant one in the ground rather than in a pot? That way the tree will grow bigger, produce more fruit and require less maintenance.

bouicca21

I considered patio trees but rejected them and went for growing fruit bushes instead. One of my blueberry bushes is laden, the other isn't, so it will take a few years to make back the cost of the bushes. Undeterred I'm going to buy a gooseberry bush next.

firebird082

Raspberries are an excellent option as a moneysaver. SO expensive in the shops, so you only need a first year decent crop to make your money back. And ours are taking over the (old) strawberry patch quite quickly, so no need to actually buy any more plants to keep increasing production...!

I have the same problem as you with my blueberries - no idea why the second is not fruiting.

DaftyDuck

Are the blueberries same type, bouicca? Some fruit early (mine like that are well harvested by now) and others are later (just coming into colour now...) It's possible that, in this odd year, the one with no fruit wasn't pollinated this year owing to appalling weather and, in fact, you have two different varieties. It's always good to spread the fruit harvest out like this, if that's the case.

Raspberries and strawberries are some of the best fruit for simple return. I really couldn't recommend patio fruit trees for anything other than amusement. If you want apples, pears and the like, there are some densely-fruiting modern trees (even "family" trees with multiple grafts of more than one variety) that can be grown straight in the ground, and they are productive!

bouicca21

Goldtraube is laden; Brigitta is not. Brigitta has a few curled up leaves that makes me think I ought to treat it with something. Both are growing well, but I think that maybe I haven't watered them enough.

The strawberries are growing well too, but not much fruit. Probably don't have enough plants yet. The ex has a phenomenal crop but has masses of plants.

Is it possible to grow raspberries in a container? Would love to have some.

DaftyDuck

Well, having recently moved, my raspberries are in pots, and are fruiting like mad - BUT they really like a wide root run and lots of root growth, so I doubt it would be that good a solution. I don't grow any varieties specifically developed for pot growing, like Ruby Beauty, and some of the Autumn ones (Allgold) aren't too vigorous at spreading.

Give it a go, and let us know!

firebird082

DaftyDuck wrote: »

Well, having recently moved, my raspberries are in pots, and are fruiting like mad

My raspberries were inherited from a colleague who emigrated just as we bought our house, and came in an enormous pot - they had always fruited well for him, but I would say they are happier in the ground. Definitely worth giving it a go.