Until now none of my fruit trees, with the exception of two asian pears, are planted adjacent to the same type. This winter and next spring I have plans to plant 8 apple trees, 3 pears, 2 peach, 6 goumi and maybe 3 persimmons. I plan on using the goumi more as nitrogen fixers than for fruit. Would it be better to alternate the trees? Apple, peach, goumi, apple, pear, goumi, ect. I think I can keep those three (plus goumi) small, 8-10’ or less. I am less confident about the persimmons.
Or just plant rows with the same fruits together? I am finding conflicting results about planting apples next to peaches or pears, or peaches next to either.
Last spring I planted a quince next to a medlar and since have read that I shouldn’t have done that since both are prone to fire blight.
Will also plant some jujubes, but will plant those together so I can mow around them for sucker control.
You will have successes and failures with this in your climate. The peaches and pears will be the most effort. If you keep trying for a few decades and pay attention to what the trees teach you, then you’ll develop some expertise and have nice trees to show for it. Allow yourself to replace some mistakes and also replace trees that just don’t work at your location.
I recommend you leave them out, permitting more space between your trees. Foliar spray is a far more efficient way to boost nitrogen uptake.
Alternating trees is a good idea. There is a guy in Quebec who runs a permaculture orchard. He has made videos. His name is Stephen Subnowiak? or something complicated like that. This is a classic permaculture idea, and there is evidence for it over time. The idea is that the diseases and pests that bother one tree,say an apple, will all congregate on those apples if together. However, if you put trees that are not closely related in between, like goumi, persimmon, or even peach, they can’t all hang out there. The bugs that eat them will be on the other trees. They can keep them in check. If that bug wants to go to another apple, he has to cross over that other tree, which is likely harboring something that eats him.
Yes, the goumi will also fix nitrogen. Some people plant say, carrot family plants, which harbor a lot of bugs that limit the bad bugs. There are many such strategies. I could go on for hours, but yes, it is a good idea.
John S
PDX OR
I imagine this is the case for most climates.
Mostly true but not very helpful. I am in my mid seventies and don’t have decades. In my life I have learned many skills, and even though after decades I find there is still a lot to learn, within a few years you can develop a basic understanding especially with places like growingfruit to help.
Isn’t this a life philosophy? We make mistakes and learn from them, try again and hopefully improve, if not try again.
That’s where I first found the idea, I think every third tree is a nitrogen fixing plant. Makes sense to me. I already plant numerous species of flowers to encourage parasitic wasp, feed my bees and other pollinators.
Readers to the north of you will experience far less vigor in some species.
Then I recommend you opt for spacings of 15’.
if you want fruit quicker id concentrate on pears and apples. also add some rows of blackberries/ raspberries. they give fruit quickly so you can have something while waiting for your trees to come into production. cape gooseberries/ poho berries are also easy to grow and taste tropical. you get fruit the same summer. they get tall and are easy to harvest.
Thanks for the suggestions. Picked 50+ lbs each of blackberries, elderberries, aronia and grapes this year. I got quite a few pears but the squirrels got most of them. Should get a few apples and peaches next year, again if I can beat the critters to them.
and my fave, figs 
fruit in just 1-2 years
What varieties do you grow? I have a Brown Turkey on the south side of my house and in 20 years it only froze to the ground a couple of times. About 4 years ago I planted Celeste, Chicago, Olympia and Violet de Bordeaux Negronne in a similar microclimate, all five, incl brown turkey, have frozen to the ground for the last four years. I still get a few most years but not very productive.
I got negra d’agde, black zadar, izbat an naj, adriatic jh, ans a malta unknown.
Theres a ton of varities with different flavors. Its sort of up to to your own tastes. Imo keep them in a pot foe 2-3 years before you get em in the ground
I like to have mine grouped by species because I spray them. They are close enough that if I spray peaches at petal fall, I don’t want to have to worry about hitting the trees that are blooming, etc.
What are your favorite carrot family (apiacaea?) plants to use?
I plant a lot of carrots, parsley, dill, fennel, coriander, and parsnips, harvesting some but leaving a lot and let go to flower, most of these self seed when left alone. I also like yarrow.
Black swallowtail caterpillars eat most of my dill and some of the fennel, and that’s OK, I grow way more than I need.
That’s a good point and the main reason I question planting them in an alternating pattern.
Pick species concurrent to the amount of effort and mobility you expect to put forth for management and harvest.
If you are interested in spraying 3-5 times per year and managing significant vigor to have fruit production, peaches can work. It sounds like Pears, persimmons, mulberries, figs, and strawberries as groundcover might be more in line with your goals. Definitely spend the time to research appropriate pear and mulberry selections for early and low maintenance fruit production. See if popcorn disease is relevant to your location and avoid mulberries prone to it. Consider one as a crop to keep birds away from your other trees even if you don’t plan to use them.
Comfrey, lead plant, false indigo, and other nitrogen fixing/chop and drop options are worth considering.
Wow, those are some good looking cages.