How to Get the Best Fruit Harvest From Your Plants and Trees
Six years ago I bought some fig trees for fun. Every year the trees get bigger and produce a few figs, which I really like, and by mid-summer the plant drops them and returns to simple existence. Why do some plants produce abundant fruit while others produce no fruit at all? Why do I wait all summer for tomatoes, but they all ripen in one week? The answer to all of these questions has to do with pollination and making smart choices about which varieties to grow, where to plant, and how much to plant.
Even self-pollinating plants grow better in pairs.
All fruits and vegetables require pollination, which is the transfer of pollen from the stamen of a male flower to the stigma of a female flower. Yes, we are talking about flower sex. Except that the work is done by the wind or pollinators such as bees, birds, flies, wasps and beetles. In many cases, like vegetables, plants can be self-pollinating, meaning one plant bears both male and female flowers and they can pollinate each other. This also applies to fruit trees such as elderberry, peach and pomegranate. When purchasing a fruit tree, the label will indicate whether the plant is self-pollinating or requires a partner. What the label doesn’t say is that even self-pollinating plants do better when there’s another one nearby. This applies to tomatoes, zucchini, cherries and all other self-pollinating plants. The more pollen nearby, the better.
Some plants need partners
For corn to truly be successful, it must be planted in blocks of at least six by six feet. The wind carries the pollen from the tassels to the corn silk, and if enough pollen hits it, an ear of corn is formed. To bear fruit, your olive tree must have another olive tree within 25 feet of it, regardless of whether it is the same olive variety. Kiwi vines can be either male or female, and to get a kiwi you will need both. It is important to know which plants should not be planted individually and to make sure that when choosing what you will plant, you plan accordingly.
Choose varieties with different ripening periods.
It’s very frustrating to wait all summer for peppers and then have them ripen in one week, but if you’re only planting one type of pepper, this will likely happen. You can create longer harvest periods by choosing different varieties—some that ripen early and some that ripen mid- or late-season. For example, blueberry varieties are always marked by the time they ripen during the season. If you can grow three bushes, purchasing early, mid and late ripening varieties will ensure a longer blueberry harvest. There are two types of strawberries: Juneberry (smaller, sweeter strawberries that ripen only in June) and everbearing (producing larger berries that will ripen all summer). Within each type there are many varieties that fruit early, mid or late in the season. By mixing and matching, you can eat strawberries all summer long. It’s the same with raspberries: some types even bear fruit in the fall. Cherries, peaches, apples and even cauliflower varieties can be staggered to make the season as long as possible.
Select varieties for your planting zone
Everyone in the United States has a USDA planting zone, and it’s likely that it changed last year. These zones represent frost dates and the expected length of the growing season in the summer. If you want plants that produce, you need to grow plants designed for your growing zone. I have a Meyer lemon tree that I nurse like a baby and put indoors for the winter, but it doesn’t surprise me that it doesn’t grow very well because I live in the Pacific Northwest. My prolific raspberries won’t survive the summer in Phoenix, where this Meyer lemon dreams of ending up.
You also need to consider regional pest species or late blight. For example, if you live somewhere where peach leaves curl a lot, you’ll need to buy varieties that don’t have leaf curl. Your local nursery will know what the local threats are, and you will likely have varieties bred to combat them.
Plant according to the space you have.
A plant like my sad fig that doesn’t have enough room to grow will have its problems. It could be either the space is too small for it, lack of support, poor soil or drainage, or lack of water. It could also be a space that is too large, such as a small plant in a large pot, or a space with no plant protection around it so exposure to wind is an issue.
Proximity also matters. If you plant pumpkins close together, they will cross-pollinate, which is a big problem because you will end up with a Franken pumpkin.
Use your resources
Between my neighbor’s house and mine are sixty feet of kiwi bushes, both female and male. The owners of our houses bought them together 30 years ago so that both could benefit. You can work with your neighbors this way to coordinate plants that suit both of you, but technically you don’t need permission. If you see that your neighbor has an elderberry bush, you can buy it and plant it nearby, and you will both benefit from it; there is no harm to either one. Every pollinator-friendly flower you plant will benefit everyone in the area.
While there are other factors that matter—such as soil pH, soil nutrition, watering, weather, whether you thin out fruit or protect it from pests—the fundamental considerations when choosing what you plant are simpler. Find out what pollination is required, how much space you have and what your zone is.