To get started on your fruitful journey, heed the advice of four local fruit-growing experts: Raintree Nursery owner Sam Benowitz and propagation/greenhouse manager Theresa Knutsen; and Home Orchard Society president Joanie Cooper and arboretum manager Karen Tillou.
Get to know your rootstock
Most fruit trees consist of two parts: a fruiting top portion and a bottom portion -- the rootstock -- that plays a part in a plant's ultimate size.
Apple cultivars grafted onto EMLA 27 rootstock can be maintained at 4 to 6 feet tall. The same varieties grafted onto EMLA 26 rootstock will grow 8 to 14 feet tall. Dwarfing rootstock can only go so far when it comes to pears and cherries since both naturally grow large (cherries want to be 40-foot-tall trees).
Recommended dwarfing rootstocks and potential heights:
Apples: EMLA 27 (4-6 feet), EMLA 7 for columnar apples (7 to 9 feet)
Peaches and nectarines: Krymsk 1 (6 to 8 feet in a container)
Pears: OHxF 87, OHxF 97 and quince rootstocks (not compatible with all pear cultivars). Quince rootstock will produce the smallest tree.
Cherries: Gisela 5, Krymsk 5
Growing fruit in a container limits growth potential, so pear and cherry trees grafted onto dwarfing rootstock could ultimately be less than their 10- to 14-foot potential. Pruning may help keep both types at manageable sizes, but you risk limiting fruit production.
You can also limit tree size by choosing genetic dwarf or semi-dwarf cultivars, such as 'Stella' cherry on Gisela 5 rootstock. Pruning could maintain this one at 5 to 6 feet tall. Another option is to grow a comparable fruit, such as opting for Asian instead of European pears. Or stick with selections that naturally stay small, such as 'Improved Meyer' lemon, 'Desert King' fig and 'Arbequina' olive. All three will grow approximately 4 to 6 feet tall in containers.
As tempting as it is to start your plants off in a large container to save yourself the annual or biannual task of potting them up as they grow, don't. Plants develop healthier root systems when you gradually increase container size, allowing no more than 2 to 3 inches of room around the root ball with each move. Avoid containers with mouths narrower than the base.
Eventually, fruit trees will require large containers: 10- to 20-gallon containers (about 15 to 20 inches wide by 15 to 17 inches deep) for citrus and pomegranates; 20-gallon containers (about 20 inches wide by 17 inches deep) for apples, genetic dwarf peaches, nectarines, figs and olives; and 30-gallon wine barrels for cherries, peaches, nectarines and espaliered fruit trees.
Glazed, terra cotta, wood and concrete containers protect roots best from temperature swings, but they are also quite heavy. Ease pot-moving tasks with sturdy, wheeled pot stands, enlist a friend to help you move your containers with a PotLifter, or opt for lightweight plastic or fiberglass containers. But soil, especially wet soil, is heavy, as are plants and their root balls. Be realistic about how large a plant and container you will want to move.
WATER, WATER, WATER
Keep your containers well-watered through the growing season. A drip system is a godsend for busy gardeners. One exception to the rule is citrus, such as 'Improved Meyer' lemon, which likes to dry out between watering.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Remember, container plants depend on you for food so adapt fertilizer practices to suit their controlled environment. If your potting soil does not include it, add a six- or nine-month slow-release fertilizer when you first plant. You can also quarter a monthly dose of fertilizer for weekly feedings. If your fertilizer does not provide micronutrients, add kelp meal.
THE KINDEST CUTS
Follow standard pruning advice with one exception: Turn your fruit trees into shrubs. Instead of trimming up your tree with the lowest branches 4 to 5 feet up, maximize fruit production with side branches as low as 1 to 2 feet above the soil. Espalier-trained fruit trees are another option for small-scale fruit production.
FOOL MOTHER NATURE
Boost production of heat-loving fruits, such as pomegranates an