Growing Fruit In Cold Weather Climates

The windy, rainy, foggy climate from Northern California all the way up to Western Washington doesn't seem like a fruit tree climate. Don't we lack the right conditions --sun, heat, or simply the kind of weather that doesn't require Gortex -- to grow fruit?

Actually, that's not true. Northwest gardeners grow fruit like southern Californians all the time. With some planning, watering, and pruning, you can easily grow apples, Meyer lemons, kumquats, figs, plums, cherries, pears, persimmons, peaches, nectarines, and more in orchards and orchards of fruit in your backyard, or one single pot on your balcony.

Fruit trees can be resilient, hardy, easy, and well, fruitful in the Northwest and Northern California despite the cold weather. Barbara Edwards and Mary Olivella's new book, From Tree to Table: Growing Backyard Fruit Trees in the Pacific Maritime Climate, explains all about growing fruit trees in your own backyard; whether you live in cold weather climates like Vancouver, B.C., Seattle, or the Bay Area, and whether you have room for an orchard of plums or simply an espaliered fig on your back deck. You're not going to grow pineapple, but cold weather fruit trees can be just as exotic and delicious.

Here are a few basic tips to inspire and get you started:

Take a neighborhood stroll. You might think you’re going to be the neighborhood's fruit tree pioneer, but if you take some time to walk past your neighbor's yards, or even stop to chat about gardening, you'll find that many people are growing a fruit tree or two in their backyards. Barbara and Mary suggest you take note of the location of the trees you find (sunny or shady location? by the house?) and even ask some questions about watering, fertilizing, and pruning to learn from local experts.

Get to know your microclimate. Location is everything -- well, most of the time. Walk around your backyard, noting the sunny and shady areas, and the slanted and boggy ones. Chilly summers and lots of rain are definite downers for growing fruit trees, so look for a site with radiant heat (by a patio, a brick wall, a back fence) and good drainage. But take heart! If you don’t have the perfect location, know that fruit trees do survive in partial shade or full wind, or other nasty conditions -- just with some extra TLC.

Size things up. How much space can you give your fruit tree? Backyard fruit trees can thrive in hot spots alongside your house, or in spacious rows in a big backyard, or in pots. Barbara and Mary list several space-saving techniques, all with one secret: pruning. Your fruit tree could shoot 25-30 feet high if you let it go, or hunker closer to the ground if you have some radical pruning shears, or espalier along a fence. Potted fruit trees require more care than planted ones, since you control their entire environment, but also produce great fruit. If you're especially concerned about cold weather, potted fruit trees can be moved to warmer, more sheltered spots during Northwest winters.

Be a busy bee: Your cold weather fruit tree needs some pollination assistance. Plant a couple easy-growing plants that attract bees, like rosemary, lavender, or lemon balm, and then watch the bees do the busy work.

Banish the pests. Depending on what fruit you grow, pests like moths and maggots can easily wipe out crops. But Barbara and Mary have plenty of simple, chemical-free fixes to chewed up, shriveled fruit. The easiest one is the nylon footie, the thin sock you see at shoe stores. Just slide the footie over nickel-sized apples to confuse the maggots, and let the nylon stretch as the fruit grows.

Now watch it grow. Backyard fruit trees don't actually need much fertilizer. Too much fertilizer too close can damage tender roots. Mix up some compost tea if you think your fruit tree needs some extra nutrition. Otherwise, nourish your backyard tree with a deep soak once or twice a week -- although your watering strategies will obviously depend on variety, weather, and the age of the tree. Well-established fruit trees need less care, so you can sit back and watch the fruit grow.

And when your first harvest of backyard apples -- or balcony Meyer lemons, or whatever cold weather fruit you plant -- is ready to pluck off the tree, shake your fist at the foggy weather and savor those crisp and flavorful bites. Growing fruit trees in the Northwest, rain and all, is quite possible. Then thumb through Barbara and Mary's book for savory recipes, all created by local chefs, like apple cinnamon scones and plum sorbet, or grilled fig and gorgonzola bruschetta.

They're positive that you can have your fruit and eat it too, right in your chilly Northwest backyard.

--Adapted from From Tree to Table, 2011; published by Skipstone, an imprint of Mountaineers Books.

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