4 AMAZING Fruit Trees People With SMALL YARDS Can Grow!

What's growing on, gardeners? It's Wednesday, October 4th, and it is a gorgeous fall evening here on the southeastern coast of North Carolina. Do you have a small yard that has stopped you from planting fruit trees because you think, my yard is just too small to plant anything worthwhile? Well, you need to watch this video, because I'm going to share with you four amazing fruit trees that you can fit in even the smallest of spaces. If you're new to the channel, please subscribe and hit the bell to receive new video notifications, and check out our Amazon store and Spreadshot links in the video description for everything I use in my garden and awesome custom-designed apparel and other gear. Your support is greatly appreciated. Fruit tree number one that people with small yards simply must consider growing is the dwarf bonanza peach. Peaches are one of the most widely adaptable and favorite fruits in all of the United States, but there is a problem. Because of the way peach trees grow, where they are fairly spreading and require being pruned to an open center, even the semi-dwarf varieties tend to take up a ton of space. So for people without a whole lot of room to grow fruit trees, peaches become very difficult. The dwarf bonanza peach tree is the solution to this problem. It only reaches a height of six feet tall at maturity, and because it is naturally self-fertile, you only need to plant one peach tree. So this little guy can fit practically anywhere, and it doesn't need a companion. Now look, there are numerous dwarf varieties of peaches on the market that are marketed as patio peaches, but they all tend to have one thing in common, inferior fruit quality. The dwarf patio peaches also produce usually dwarf-sized fruit that isn't all that flavorful and pretty bland. That is where this variety shines. It actually produces full-size commercial quality fruit of excellent flavor. So there are truly no compromises with this variety. And get this, it is also a free stone peach. And to make things even better, it only requires about 250 chill hours. So you can plant this baby as far south as central Florida and still get a great harvest off this tree. I was starting to run out of space on the western border of my yard, and I really wanted to add a peach tree to the mix. So this dwarf peach tree right here is going to fit beautifully in this tiny space. And it just goes to show you that you can fit a whole bunch of fruit in a small area if you put your mind to it. Fruit tree number two that can fit in practically any yard is the Ichikikaijiro Asian persimmon tree. This is a non-astringent persimmon. You can eat it when it's unripe and hard like an apple, or you can wait until it gets fully ripe, in which case it will turn into a bag of jelly. This may have been one of the most delicious fruits I have ever had in my entire life, and it fruited for me the very next year after I planted it. That is how precocious this variety is. Now what is also incredible about this tree is that it is the most cold-hardy of all of the Asian persimmon trees. It can survive down to zone 6, and it is also one of the smallest. It is a naturally dwarfing tree, so if you let it go unpruned, it is only going to wind up to be about 8 to 10 feet tall. This tree is on its second year in ground, and it's not going to get a whole lot taller than this, believe it or not. And of course, if you were to prune it annually, you could keep it even shorter. Now while this may be a small tree, it makes pretty sizable fruit. This persimmon fruit right here is about the size of a beefsteak tomato, and it's starting to turn color. It's beginning to ripen. That's why I have this organza bag over it. I want to make sure that nothing gets to it. This is a little bit of insect protection, and in case we get any rodents in the yard, hopefully this will dissuade them at least a little bit. Now what is really amazing about Asian persimmons is they don't ripen until October or November, depending on the variety that you're growing. This is even if you're in a cold location. So if you think your growing season is over in September and you're ready for the winter, if you grow persimmons, you can extend your harvest all the way until October or November. And the awesome thing about these Asian persimmons is when the trees get hit by frost and they defoliate, the frost actually helps soften up the fruit and sweetens them. So even at your last frost date and beyond, you can still be harvesting fresh fruit in your garden. The third fruit tree that can fit in practically any yard is the Owari Satsuma Mandarin Orange tree. Now I know what you may be thinking. Citrus? Come on, I don't live in an area that's nearly warm enough to grow citrus. And also, don't citrus trees get really big? Well, let me put your mind at ease with both of those points. Yes, it is true that citrus trees grafted onto full-size rootstock can become very large trees, but the key is to select a certain rootstock to keep them perfectly and permanently small. My citrus trees are all grafted onto trifoliate hybrid rootstock. So when you're buying your citrus trees, make sure that they are all grafted onto trifoliate rootstock or one of the named trifoliate rootstocks like Flying Dragon. If you see trifoliate or Flying Dragon, it's going to permanently keep the tree only about five to seven feet tall. This is my oldest fruit tree. It's the first one that I ever planted in ground when I moved here five years ago. And as you can see, this is the mature height of the tree. I prune it annually and I shape it. So I'm going to keep it at this height forever. And for that reason, it is also safe planted around the foundation of my house because trifoliate orange rootstock is more like a bush than it is like an actual tree. Now let's address what I'm sure is everyone's number one concern, cold damage. Aren't citrus only able to be grown in places that don't see frost and freeze? Well, the nice thing about the Owari Satsuma is it just may be the most cold hardy of all of the commercial quality, almost seedless, highly marketable citrus varieties out there. A mature established tree can survive all the way down to 12 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, as I said, this tree has been in the ground for five years here in North Carolina. We are not in the tropics here. I get 30 to 40 freezes every single winter. And this tree has never even taken cold damage in the five years that this has been planted. We have gotten down as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit and 17 degrees Fahrenheit. And the tree never suffered any damage because this tree is small and easy to cover. And because it has small roots, I was able to plan it close to the South wall of my house, which radiates warmth back all night. So I specifically chose a strategic microclimate in my yard up against a warm wall of my house that blocks the North wind to keep it a little artificially warm. And then if I know it's going to drop to 20 degrees or below at night, which rarely happens here, maybe only once or twice a season, I simply cover it in incandescent Christmas lights that are rated for outdoor use. And then I place a frost jacket on it. And then I pull the drawstring at the bottom of the frost jacket, and it keeps it plenty protected. Doing this, I have never seen any cold damage, and I will make sure to link to a playlist below that shows how I provide a little bit of cold protection to all of my fruit trees that need it. Now, just as a point of reference, I'm growing an avocado tree in ground here in North Carolina, which is only zone nine hardy. So if I'm able to use these cold protection methods to grow an avocado tree here, I think that you may be able to grow something like this all the way down to zone seven B, maybe even zone seven A, if you're willing to be diligent with your protection and you choose a strategic microclimate. And although this may be a very small tree, you have to see the production on this thing. It is absolutely ludicrous. Look at all of the oranges on here. There are probably at least 200 oranges on this entire tree. And last year they were loaded up like crazy of some of the delicious citrus that you've ever had in your entire life. If you have never had fresh citrus right off of a tree, I beg you to try growing a tree like this. It is absolutely incredible. Now, I rarely like promoting one nursery over another because I've ordered from so many nurseries online over the years, and I almost always have a positive experience. However, I do make an exception when it comes to these dwarf citrus, because it can be really hard for people that live in northern climates to get citrus trees, especially ones that are grafted to the trifoliate rootstock. So if you don't live in a citrus quarantine state, I get all of my grafted citrus trees from Stan McKenzie at McKenzie Farms in Scranton, South Carolina. If you call him up and you order a fruit tree from him, he will ship them to you. You can place your order over the phone. He has, in my opinion, the greatest citrus trees that are out there. Tell him that I sent you and that you want one grafted onto trifoliate rootstock. As long as you're not in a citrus quarantine state, he will be able to ship to you. His prices are better than the big box stores and you get way better trees. And the fourth fruit tree that can fit in practically any yard is the Arbasana olive tree. That's Arbasana olive tree. This is one of those varieties that for the life of me, I can't figure out why it's not more popular than it actually is. This may be the greatest olive tree for all backyard growers. Now you may be thinking, wait, wait, wait, don't I usually need two olive trees for cross-pollination? Don't olive trees usually get huge and aren't many frost tender? How can I grow an olive tree in a small backyard? Growing olives in many backyards was often thought to be prohibitive because most olives require cross-pollination. The trees do not like frost and freeze and they can get very, very large. So for those reasons, the ArbaKenya olive has largely become very popular in backyard garden cultures because it was a self-fertile olive that had a slow growing habit. But the ArbaKenya olive ultimately becomes problematic because they can grow to be 30 to 40 feet tall over time. The Arbasana olive, which you see right here is also self-fertile, but it is a naturally dwarfing tree. It will only grow to be about 10 to 15 feet tall unmanaged if you do not prune it. So with basic annual pruning, you can keep it even smaller, way smaller. And because it is such a slow grower, it's only going to inch up over the years before it actually can become a fairly large tree. So it will be easy for you to maintain. Now, the other awesome things about the Arbasana olive tree is it is self-fertile. So you only need one tree and it is one of the most cold-hardy of all of the olives. When fully mature, this can survive all the way down to zone 7b. And I'm sure you could grow it in even colder zones if you're willing to protect it. The Arbasana olive tree is a Spanish cultivar that is highly prized for its delicious oil. This is a great oil producing olive, but you can also use it as a table olive if you were to brine and cure it. Now, the other awesome thing about olive trees is they're one of those rare trees that you can grow incognito. Now, what do I mean by that? A lot of these fruit trees you're going to need to plant in your backyard because a lot of people don't want fruit trees growing in their front yard. The cool thing about olive trees is they are beautiful evergreen ornamental trees. So because of that, you can plant these easily in your front yard and you can sneak a fruit tree in your front yard and nobody will really be the wiser. You can even get away with planting olives in your front yard in most cases as door yard trees when they're small like this in an HOA. So if you want to grow an olive tree, you don't have to use space in your backyard if you don't have it. You can plant it in your front yard or in your side yard and people will just go about their business thinking it's just a regular ornamental evergreen tree. And that right there are four tiny fruit trees that can fit in practically any backyard that don't compromise on fruit quality and production. And hey, they're also really easy to grow. So everybody, I sure hope you found this video helpful. If you did, please make sure to hit that like button, subscribe to the channel, and please ring that notification bell so you're notified when I release more videos like these. If you're curious about any of the trees that I featured in this video and you have any questions, please drop them down in the comment section below and I will do my best to address them. If you're curious about any of the products that I use in real life in my garden or that I use to take care of my fruit trees, they are all linked down in the video description in my Amazon storefront. So if you expand the video description and click on the Amazon link, you'll see everything I use in real life. And while you're there, check out my spreadshop for custom merch if you want to support the channel. Thank you all so much for watching and I hope to see all of you again on the next video. Yes sir, is there something I can give you? Are you here to eat my steak? And yes, I know I have a little bit of a gray band here because I over seared it with my sous vide gun. Okay buddy, I'll give you probably this end right here which is a little bit overcooked. You're drooling all over my floor. Where should you be? That's better. Now I have 10 pounds of dale drool to clean up. All right buddy. Ready? Oh no, my carpet! Well you better have enjoyed that.