Johnny Appleseed Can Visit Your Backyard
Fruit Tree Planting |
Fruit Trees add permanent value to your property.
They produce fruit about two- five years after planting, and remain a fixture at your house for decades. In central Pennsylvania, fruit trees can only be planted in April. Our ordering process for these trees ends the second week of February or as much as eight months in advance as popular varieties often sell out quickly. Wilson Home Farms purchases the majority of our trees from Adam's County Nursery, the most reputable fruit tree nursery in Pennsylvania, Cummins Nursery in New York, Fedco Trees, and Grandpa's Orchard. I do not have a personal inventory of trees. These nurseries only ship trees one time every year. A fruit tree should bear fruit when it is 3- 5 years old. All trees planted are in their second year. Planting older trees, while tempting, usually does not produce as successfully. Trees require yearly maintenance: fertilization, pruning, training. Trees may require pest and disease management depending on the season. All of the trees listed below are recommended by Pennsylvania State University's Extension The varieties are selected for organic home gardeners. Popular varieties seen in the grocery store, such as 'Red Delicious,' are not breed to be grown without heavy fungicide and insecticide use. The listed varieties are breed to be resistant to common diseases in Pennsylvania such as Scab. The planting process begins far before the tree is put in the ground. Liming of the planting site can begin as early as the fall before planting. In March of the planting year, holes are dug for the trees and amended with compost mixed with your soil. In April, upon delivery, they are immediately planted. |
Fruit Tree Care |
Fruit tree fertilization programs can be found on our Soil Fertility Page.
Irrigation can be added for an additional fee check out our Irrigation Page for details. Fruit Tree pruning for any sized tree is a service offered by Wilson Home Farms. Pruning occurs in February and Early-March for Pome Fruit (Apple and Pear), and April for Stone Fruits (Peaches, Cherries, Plums, Apricots, and Nectarines). Pricing is based on the size of the tree. Customarily, a small tree (up to 5 years old and under 8 feet tall) costs about $25, a medium sized tree (6-10 years old and under 12' tall costs about $35) and large trees cost between $45 - 70 to prune. Old trees that require renovation cost about $100-200 depending on size. These trees also must be pruned over three years to gradually restore the tree to an acceptable size. |
Fruit Tree Varieties
Apples |
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Sweet
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Self- Fertile
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Tart
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Nectarines |
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Peaches |
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Pears |
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Asian Pears |
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Plums |
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Apricot |
Harogem
Medium-sized fruit, bright red glossy blush over orange background. Ideally suited for the fresh market. Flesh is orange, firm and freestone, with good flavor. Trees are upright, productive and very cold hardy. Resistant to brown rot, perennial canker and somewhat resistant to bacterial spot. |