Up until a couple of years ago, I had no idea what espalier fruit trees were. I also didn’t really believe that we would be able to fit many (if any) fruit trees on our tiny little property. Fast forward a few years and we have not one, not two or three or four fruit trees, but five! Three of which are espalier trees and four of which have been spiced/grafted so that each of them carries four different varieties of fruit!
If you’ve done the math, you know that what this all means is, from five fruit trees, we are able to grow and harvest 13 different varieties of fruit! Not too shabby, ha?
Here’s how it breaks down:
Our two Apple trees are espalier. Each tree has four main, spliced/grafted branches and each branch carries a different variety of apples:
- Red Fuji
- Gala
- Granny Smith
- Golden Delicious
Our Pear tree is also espalier and is spliced/grafted with four main branches and four varieties of pears:
- Red Bartlett
- Red Anjou
- Bartlett
- Comice
Our Cherry tree is not espalier, but it is spliced/grafted with four main branches and four varieties of cherries:
- Bing
- Lapins
- Van
- Rainer
Our Apricot tree is simply a dwarf…No splicing/grafting, no espalier, just absolutely delicious when the weather allows for a bountiful harvest!
So, what does it mean to be an “Espalier Fruit Tree”?
Well, really all that it means is that the trees main branches have been trained to grow horizontally along a fence, wall, trellis-type structure. When first planting your tree, you place it 6-12 inches away from whichever structure it will be trained against and then, as it grows, you slowly train it in your chosen direction using twine or garden wire. Now, they do require quite a hit of pruning to keep them in check, but the benefits of espalier fruit trees in small spaces far outweigh any of the maintenance that has to go into them. Mother Nature News has an awesome run down of How to Espalier Fruit Trees
What’s the maintenance like on all those trees?
Water – We have all of our trees set up on drip irrigation during the warm months and, when our winters are exceptionally dry, we water them about once a month.
Pruning – Once or twice a year (spring and fall), we prune back our trees to maintain their shape and keep them all going in the right direction. Espalier trees love to shoot off branches that go straight up, so the trick is in keeping those off shoots in check and keeping the main branches heading horizontally.
Our cherry and apricot trees also get pruned regularly in an attempt to keep the trees at a height from which our fruit harvests are accessible with limited assistance (you know, ladders, chairs to stand on, etc.).
Would I recommend planting fruit trees on your property?
Absolutely! We are so happy with the trees we’ve invested in! The trees really don’t take up much space and, despite our funky spring weather (late hard freezes), our yield in good years has been impressive! There really is nothing like home grown fruit!
Now, if I could just figure out how to get a nut tree on the property, we’d be all set 😉
xoxo,
M
Linking up to the Homestead Barn Hop #147, the HomeAcre Hop #58
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I’d love to see photos of your espalier trees. Also, where are you? I’m in inland So. CA, and I’m wondering if I could do apples. It’s mild here in the winter but it gets REALLY HOT (think Phoenix) in the summer.
As I wrote this piece, I realized that I don’t have many long view shots of our trees…only from a few years ago when the first went in! So, my goal this spring is to get some shots of the whole trees, not just the pretty blossoms 😉
We are in Santa Fe, NM at ~7,000 feet. We get all four seasons with winters that get down as low as into the 0-10 degree range and summers that get up to the 90s. I am not sure about Phoenix-like temps, but it’s definitely worth investigating! Good luck!
Dawn, I am in Hemet and have a Gala apple tree that abundantly produces for me. I planted an Anna apple last year that is doing well and I have two espalier apple trees that I will be planting soon. Unless you are in the Palm Springs area (I’m not sure about growing requirements there) I would go for it!
Did you do the grafting yourself? I SO want to graft my peach tree with some heirloom varieties. Please do a post about it. 🙂
I did not do the graft (they were purchased already grafted), but I could absolutely do some research 🙂