Fruit trees for a cold climate

Hi Gardenguide,

                          I want to plant some fruit trees on a property which is located in the Canberra district which means we have heavy frosts and long cold winters.   I have good well drained soil, but the location is exposed to wind and full sun.   I am not particularly concerned what type of fruit tree I plant.  I would apprectiate your advice....

....on what is the best fruit trees to grow.   Regards Andrew,  Canberra region NSW.

Hi Andrew,

                    Although you may think that having a cool climate will limit the your options regards growing fruit.  It actually opens up many opportunities to grow some highly productive tree crops.   I would also suggest that the way that you store and preserve these crops is also important....so you can enjoy them, not just for when they are fruiting, but throughout the rest of the year.  

      Many deciduous tree crops actually require a certain amount of cold conditions before they will set flowers.   The conditions in your area allow you to grow a vast number of productive trees as follows:

Peaches                                                                            Nectarines                                                                        Almonds                                                                           Pears                                                                                Cherries                                                                            Apples                                                                              Mulberries                                                                           Apricots etc                                                                       

 If you would like to purchase just one tree, then you are best off to go for a stone fruit of the Prunus family (peaches plums etc).   There are available what are known as multi-graft trees,  these have a number of varieties of peach or nectarine on the same tree.   You can also get plum trees that have various varieties on the one tree.   These are very handy for small areas.   However, if you have a large area then why not get a number of trees and plant them a long a fence line or on the northern side of the house.  

    In regard to wind,  if you get windy conditions at the time the flowering occurs in Spring, then it is very important to find a protected position to plant the tree (s).    In regard to keeping your fruit to enjoy throughout the year,  look into bottling fruit.  This is something that anyone can do at home.  It does require the purchase of some equipment, but once you have the setup you can have home made bottled fruit (same as canned fruit) year after year.

Regards  

Gardenguide.