Interested in growing your own fresh fruit? Crisp, delicious pome fruits are a favorite among many fruit growers. Growing pome fruit in your own backyard is a rewarding experience that is as fun as it is delicious.
Whether you have a tiny porch or a spacious backyard, there are options for growing these delectable fruits. Learn more about pome fruit varieties and how to start growing your own fruit trees at home.
What is a Pome Fruit?
Pome fruits are a delightful addition to any fruit basket. With their crisp texture and sweet-tart flavor, they are a favorite among fruit lovers around the world. But what exactly is a pome fruit? Pome fruits are a classification of fruit with a hard core that is surrounded by a fleshy, edible layer. The core is made up of several small, seed-containing compartments, giving pome fruits their unique structure. Popular pome fruit varieties include apples, pears and quinces. Each of these fruits has its own distinct taste and texture, but they all share the common characteristics of being juicy and packed with flavor.
Intermountain Pome Fruit Varieties
Growing fruit trees in intermountain climates requires varieties that can thrive in our diverse regions. Apples and pears are the most common pome fruit varieties that growers can depend on in the intermountain west.
Apples
Crisp, refreshing apples are a favorite among fruit growers and connoisseurs. Whether you like them sweet or a little sour, apples are great for eating fresh, adding to salads, baking delicious treats and dehydrating or freeze-drying for storage.
Pears
Juicy and sweet, adding pears to your backyard or orchard can be a refreshing addition. Pears are great for enjoying fresh, making jams or saving for later with canning or freeze-drying.
Planting & Caring for New Pome Fruit Trees
Most trees are full-sun plants that require well-drained soil. When planting new fruit trees, choose an area that receives an average of six to eight or more hours of direct sunlight per day and that drains well.
Trees need time to establish a strong root system before the winter months. Plant new fruit trees in the spring, early summer or fall. If you live in warmer areas, avoid planting in the summer months when extreme heat could impede young plant growth.
Once fruit trees establish a strong root system, keep up with annual maintenance and general care. Fruit trees need adequate water and soil nutrients to grow and produce fruit. Rather than frequent irrigation, fruit trees need one good soaking a week to avoid potential root problems.
Replenish fruit tree nutrients by spading in an all-purpose garden fertilizer such as IFA Grand Champion 16-16-16 or IFA Premium Garden Fertilizer 16-16-8 into the soil. Applying IFA Bountiful Earth Humate in spring and fall also improves plant health by increasing nutrient availability and filtration through the tree’s root zone.
Pome Fruit Pest Control
Codling Moths are the primary offenders when it comes to apples and pears. The moths lay their eggs on and near the fruit. The hatched larvae then tunnel into the fruit and feed on the seeds.
Symptoms you may be dealing with a codling moth infestation include visible entry and exit holes in fruit, tunneling in fruit flesh (specifically around the seeds) and fruit that drops off the tree ahead of ripening.
Controlling fruit tree pests requires both prevention and removal when necessary. Contact your local USU extension agent to set-up codling moth trapping stations. Control codling moth infestations use fruit tree sprays specifically labeled and formulated for use on and around pome fruit trees. This will help protect your trees without damaging the fruit.
Avoiding Common Fruit Tree Diseases
There are several common diseases that can affect pome fruit trees. Protect the health and productivity of your fruit trees by being aware of these common pome fruit diseases and taking preventive measures.
Apple & Pear Scab
Apple scab causes dark, scaly lesions on fruit and leaves and can affect both apples and pears. It is important to choose resistant varieties and practice good sanitation by removing infected leaves and fruit to prevent apple scab from ruining your harvest. Applying copper sprays in the winter works well to prevent this disease.
Cedar-apple Rust
Another common disease is cedar apple rust, which primarily affects apples, but can also affect pears and quinces. This disease causes orange, gelatinous growths on leaves and fruit. Prevent cedar apple rust by removing nearby cedar or juniper trees that serve as alternate hosts for the disease. Applying fungicides can also help control the spread of cedar apple rust to other trees.
Powdery Mildew
Powdery mildew stunts tree growth and forms a white fungal growth on the leaves, buds, shoots and fruit of apple trees. Control powdery mildew infections by removing infected buds, maintaining proper sanitation and spraying to prevent the disease. Powdery Mildew can be caused by shallow frequent watering. Evaluating and sticking to a good watering schedule can help prevent this disease.
Fire Blight
Fire blight is a serious bacterial disease that affects pome fruit trees, causing wilting and blackening of the branches. To prevent fire blight, it is crucial to apply an antibiotic Fire Blight spray when the tree is in bloom. Copper sprays do not work on Fire Blight because it is a bacterial infection. Timing is essential to prevent Fire Blight. Make sure you administer Fire Blight sprays when the tree is in flower.
Improve Fruit Production with Fruit Tree Pruning
Pruning improves the overall health and growth of your fruit trees. A “central leader" pruning method should be used for the best results with pome fruit tree varieties. A central leader pruning style creates a pyramid shape with a strong center.
Remove competing, upright shoots to.preserve a single-main, vertical trunk. Select and prune around three or four scaffold branches about 20-30 inches up from the ground with three or four upper scaffold branches about 18-20 inches above the first set. All the scaffold branches should be angled about 45-60 degrees from the trunk.
Prune your trees annually to add years of better production. Fruiting buds on apple and pear trees produce more fruit on buds located at the end of two-year-old branches or spurs. Avoid pruning off fruiting spurs to preserve as many of these buds as possible.
Backyard Growing for Urban & Suburban Spaces
With a bit of research and a willingness to experiment, you can enjoy the satisfaction of growing your own delicious pome fruit, even in the midst of the urban jungle.
Did you know you can grow apples in a container on your porch or balcony? Red Tasty and Blushing Delight are columnar apple tree varieties that only grow 3-5 feet wide. Columnar apple trees are slender in width compared to height, making them ideal for growing in smaller spaces. Apple trees are not self-fertile, grow Red Tasty and Blushing Delight apples together to promote fruit production.
If you have a bit more room, consider growing pear or fruit trees espalier-style against a wall or fence in your backyard. Espalier growing allows you to train fruit tree branches to grow flat against the support, saving valuable space. Pome fruit trees are best for espalier growing methods due to their fruit-producing spurs that live and yield fruit for years and for their easily trained new growth.
Growing Pome Fruit Trees with IFA
Enjoying growing refreshing pome fruits in your own backyard is easy and rewarding. Your local IFA has the trees, growing supplies and tips to help you grow your own pome fruit trees. Stop by and ask an IFA expert for help getting started.
Information for this article was provided by Marvin Potter, Garden Center and Live Plants Category Manager, IFA Country Store.