Fruit trees are a great feature to have on your property, whether you’ve lived in the southwest United States deserts for years or just moved there. Anyone moving to Phoenix from colder areas of the country will be excited about the prospect of planting fruit trees in their yard.
This article, the Green Goddess, gives you a list of some of the easiest fruit trees to maintain and plant.
Orange Trees
What could be better than picking oranges from your tree to make a refreshing, all-natural orange juice? In the desert southwest, orange trees are common. There are many different types of trees, but there are three main groups: Navels, Arizona Sweets, and Valencia.
Navel Oranges have no seeds and are easy to peel. However, the juice is short-lived and becomes bitter quickly. Fruit production on these trees isn’t as good, and due to our heat, the fruit falls too early in June.
Valencia’s is a sweet orange that has a deep orange color and produces delicious orange juice. They usually ripen in February or March.
Arizona Sweets are a sweet, refreshing fruit with a lot of juice. Our area has a very robust growth rate, and they can ripen even as early as October.
Ask your Green Goddess representative about the best way to plant a citrus tree. You will need to loosen the soil around your tree before you can grow it. This soil should only be removed as far as the container, but it must remain wider. Check that the soil level in the container is the same as the soil surrounding it. Fill the area you will be planting the tree with soil and water it quickly.
Citrus trees should be irrigated regularly, but not deeply. Watering a new plant is necessary for the first couple of weeks. After that, water the plant once a week in the summer and once a month during the cool seasons.
Grapefruit Trees
Many grapefruit trees can take as long as three years to mature. Use the same procedure as we did with the orange trees to plant your grapefruit tree. Grapefruit trees thrive in warm climates and are a great addition to the Phoenix area. Grapefruits include:
Duncan is a large, seedy grapefruit that matures between November and May. It has a sweet taste with lots of juice.
Star Ruby is also matured around November to May and has thin skin with dark red flesh. Slow-growing grapefruits that are sweet and juicy.
Pummelo Oro Blancomatures from November to March. It is a grapefruit that has thick, greenish-to-yellowish skin and white flesh. This fruit is juicy and has a sweet-tart flavor.
Grapefruit trees can reach heights of up to 20 feet, but they are not limited to this. Their leaves are usually dark green and thin.
Apple Trees
It can be a lot of fun to grow an apple tree. It is important to choose a tree that grows well in your region.
It is best to buy a tree that has been around for a year, is approximately 4-6 feet tall, and has a strong root system. Apple trees can grow in any soil condition, but they need to be exposed to full sunlight, have good air circulation, and have drainage. Fill in the area around the base of your tree. Water well for the first two weeks.
Dorsett(Golden) grows well in our area and has a refreshing, crisp taste. These medium-sized apples have a sweet taste and ripen to a golden color.
Apple Tree – This large apple is greenish-yellow with a hint of red. Anna’s have a white flesh that is slightly sweet and tart. This apple is great for homemade pies and applesauce.
Fuji has a medium size, dull red apple that is very sweet. It usually matures in August. It has a crisp texture and a great flavor. This apple is easy to grow and a household favorite.
If you want to grow fruit trees successfully, they must come from a reliable nursery. A nursery like The Green Goddess stands behind its products and ensures they are free from insects and diseases and that the fruit trees are as described.
