Claire Mummery: How to create a portable orchard and grow cost-effective fruit

You can grow a huge variety of fruit in pots. Photo / Getty Images.

You can easily grow an abundance of fruit, even if you don’t have a garden, writes Claire Mummery.

With many people choosing or needing to live in rented accommodation, it’s good to know that you can grow most fruit trees in a good-sized pot or wine barrel, so if you have to move, you can take your beloved trees with you.

This year, I have successfully harvested peaches, apricots and feijoas from my pot-grown trees and the citrus are coming along nicely. With food prices for fresh produce soaring and many of our fruit-growing regions wiped out in the recent flooding, there has never been a better time to start growing your own fruit trees.

The challenges of growing in pots can be mitigated with some diligent love and care, so there really are no drawbacks.

Naturally, pot-grown trees are prone to drying out quicker than those grown in the ground. Additionally, more food is required for pot-grown trees, because the roots are restricted to one growing area and cannot run deeper into the soil to source what they need. Follow the tips here and you will soon be enjoying your own portable orchard.

How to choose the right tree for your pot

For the best chance of success, make sure you are starting with a healthy tree. When buying a tree, be sure to check under the leaves and along the stem for any pests. My best advice for picking well is to choose the tree that looks the most vibrant in the garden centre. Another key thing to inspect is the bottom of the pot - make sure the tree is not completely root-bound. You can usually tell this by picking the pot/planter bag up and seeing if the roots are splaying out of the bottom or wrapped around the bottom of the pot. This will indicate that the tree has been in the bag/pot for a fair few seasons and is best to avoid.

I urge you not to pay huge sums of money for trees - sadly, there are a lot of opportunists out there cashing in on inflation costs at the moment, so be advised that the average citrus tree should cost between $30-$50, and fruit trees $45-65 for a good-sized tree. Know what you’re buying.

How to prepare your pot

After purchase, take your tree home and give it a thorough watering. Add a multi-purpose feed, especially if it is a citrus tree. Most other fruit trees are deciduous, and will be dormant over the winter months, so a feed will be required regularly from spring onwards.

Prepare your pot/container carefully, making sure the pot you have chosen is at least a third bigger than the root ball of your plants.

Laying stones in the bottom of the pot is important to stop the holes blocking up and create continued drainage, which will prevent waterlogging of your trees. After a good layer of stones, I like to put a layer of torn wet newspaper, as this will encourage the worms to come up into your pot, then put some container mix, add Saturaid or magic mulch, and water well.

Place another layer of soil and sheep pellets, vermicast (worm castings) or bokashi, then another thin layer of soil.

Remove the plant from the bag/pot and check the soil thoroughly for ants or any unwanted pests. Place into your pot and fill with soil around the plant, pushing the soil down carefully right around the sides, as this will hold your plant in place. Next, water well. When adding soil, don’t fill right to the top of the pot - instead, leave a gap of a few centimetres so you can add a layer of mulch.

Always remove the stake and plastic ties the plant came with to prevent stunted growth. If you are in a windy area, put a couple of stakes in either side of the pot and tie the tree with stretchy fabric until the roots are established.

The beauty of planting in pots is you can have them close to your house or on a balcony, and the investment in the tree is yours, wherever you may be.

For more gardening advice, visit growinspired.co.nz and discover Claire Mummery’s online gardening course at growinspiredacademy.com