Is growing your own fruit worth it, for self sufficiency purposes?

[Hedonologist]

I would have thought that the large amount of nutrients that an apple tree for example, saps from the surrounding soil, that it would not be worth growing your own fruits, for self sufficiency purposes anyway. Of course it's nice to have them, but I would have thought that the added investment required to replenish the soil made it not worthwhile. I'm relatively new to gardening, so I may be wrong, but I've always wondered about this.

 

[sunflower]

I think apple trees are relatively easy to grow. Adding phosphorus and potassium will ensure that the soil is adequate for growth. Using a fertilizer in the spring before the tree buds is a good idea as well. I have a pear tree in my yard and basically just leave it alone and it does fine. Well, we made the mistake of not watering it enough this summer when it was so hot and didn't rain, so the crop wasn't all that great, but that was just a basic mistake. lol It was actually too hot most of the time to go out there. Oops.

 

[lovinglife]

I think I said this in another thread, I have LOTS of FREE fertilizer, if you want some stop on by, with your bags and shovels!! We will be growing trees right and left!!

 

[Arzosah]

Fruit is very well worth growing - and trees in particular. I'm not sure about the dwarf rootstock, but ordinary trees take their nutrients from the subsoil, not the soil itself, so they're accessing nutrients not available to any other sort of crop. And when their leaves eventually fall off, they improve the soil as long as you add them to your leaf bin and let them compost down.

Fruit does in general take nutrients from the ordinary soil, its true - but thats the point, its nutritious, and the micronutrients such as trace elements, vitamins we need in very small doses, enzymes, all sorts of things - we need a wide variety. Our ancestors certainly ate fruit, and we should eat some if we possibly can.

The other thing is that fruit is perennial! You're producing food from your garden with very little effort on your part, and the taste is fantastic. I'm for it, as you might be able to tell

 

[Flourishes]

I have learned a lot from this thread. I did not know anything about the nutrient issues that go along with growing trees... and here I thought that I was so savvy just because I can make a few plants grow . I was wondering why the question is "is it worth it to grow your own fruit?..." My answer was an automatic yes until I read some of the replies here, now I realize that a lot more thought goes into it than I had ever given a fruit tree.

My mother was a superb gardener. I like growing just regular green plants and I perceive that I am pretty good at that. I have not ever really given any thought to all that goes into growing fruit trees, although I grew up around plenty of them. As "they" say, you learn something new every day.

 

[clueless1]

I believe the one nutrient plants need when producing fruit, that is most likely to be in short supply, is potash (potassium). This happens to exist in very large measures in wood ash, so next time you have a bonfire to burn off all those prunings that are too woody for the compost heap, put the ashes around your fruit trees/bushes

 

[lovinglife]

Trees are also very good for the environment, more trees please...

 

[sissy]

just make sure if you put the ashes around your trees they are not from the fake wood you buy in the boxes at the stores .

 

[clueless1]

just make sure if you put the ashes around your trees they are not from the fake wood you buy in the boxes at the stores .

That's interesting. Fake wood?

 

[iagirl]

Are you talking about the wood ash like from my fireplace? Sorry I'm a bit confused.

 

[clueless1]

Are you talking about the wood ash like from my fireplace? Sorry I'm a bit confused.

If you burn some wood, be it in a fire place or a log burning stove, or bonfire outside, the result is the same, lots of lovely wood ash which is very high in potash, which is the nutrient plants need to flower and set fruit.

In the fireplace, you might also burn coal (or coal derivatives). The resulting ash from a coal or coal/wood fire is also high in potash, BUT, beware, coal ash is often acidic. Coal ash is great for rhoddendrons, azaleas, hydrangeas etc and lots of acid loving soft fruit like blueberries and currants, but not so great for plants that don't like acid soil.

So, in short:
Wood ash only: Great for all fruit and flowers
Coal ash: Great for acid loving fruit and flower plants

 

[iagirl]

That is great to know. All of this time I've been wasting the wood from the fireplace in the driveway. I think I will try it in some of my indoor fruit trees to see if that helps them out too. Since I heat my home mostly with wood there never is a shortage of ash. Thank you.

 

[sissy]

They sell the fake wood in most stores for people who just want a romantic fire without buying real wood .

 

[clueless1]

They sell the fake wood in most stores for people who just want a romantic fire without buying real wood .

I've never seen anything like that. Is it a US thing perhaps?

 

[sissy]

I guess so as I see it all over here .pine mountain is one of the name brands and they also sell inviro logs and gosh do those things stink .