I already have the barrel. Last season it hosted a pollinator-friendly mini-meadow which didn’t do that well. It was all kinda shaggy and leggy and falling over. So, I’m thinking of adding another fruit tree and would appreciate suggestions.
It would get full sun all day.
It has to be small (6 ft tall at most, preferably shorter) and not very spreading.
Either self-pollinating or amenable to grafting another compatible variety for pollination.
A decent producer of decent quality fruit.
It HAS to stay outside for the winter (zone 6b/marginal 7a). I guess if there’s a really hard freeze I could protect it with tarp, Christmas lights etc.
I would love to add an Asian pear - anyone has experience growing them in barrels or are they too vigorous? Another apple is a safe option, and I wouldn’t have to worry about pollination as I already have several apple trees. Also considering a peach or one of the hardier hybrid persimmons. Would love to hear opinions/suggestions.
Im particularly curious to hear first-hand experiences, what not to do, what you would’ve done differently. I wouldn’t want this to turn into a failed experiment several years down the road. Thank you!
A friend of mine has been keeping micro dwarfing peaches in pots that size for a few years.
He’s Canadian 6a, I think, and has been taking them into an unheated barn for winter shelter but I’m not sure that’s needed.
I tend to just do walking onions, lettuces/kales and tomatoes in mine.
I have 20 or so trees in #25 pots (a little smaller than a half wine barrel). they’re on a mix of rootstocks from dwarf to semi dwarf and a few standard stone fruits. they’re all pretty happy so far (potted for 2 years). for the most part, rootstock doesn’t matter, at least so far, they all grow about the same except my one M27 apple which is growing really slowly
for your requirement of 6ft tall you could look for an apple on m27 or similar (super dwarf) or a genetic dwarf peach or apricot. you could also keep any old peach or plum to that size with pruning, make sure to get branching started super low. my M9-class and semi dwarf potted apples are in the 8ft range except redlove calypso (on m7 I think) which is 6ft because it’s naturally a slow grower and I’ve let it bear heavily - so a redlove apple variety could be a good choice on any rootstock
I don’t have an asian pear in a pot but I think it could work fine. they’re so precocious that they should stop growing vigorously as soon as they start fruiting, between the dwarfing effect of the pot plus the fruit load. you can control vigor by letting it bear more fruit (although too much will result in none of it ripening). I think you’ll still struggle to keep it below 6ft though, that’s a tough ask because asian pears want to grow vertically. by starting branching low and using lots of branch bending, maybe
all of my potted stuff is hardy at least two zones below where I live (which is trivial because I’m in 8b). that’s the usual guideline. so I don’t protect it at all and it does fine
my pot tips are 1. get the highest quality potting soil you can. I buy 1yd at a time from a local mixer because bags are too expensive 2. hook up drip irrigation on a timer so they don’t dry out 3. use controlled-release fertilizer like osmocote plus. I haven’t had to root prune or refresh soil yet but the received wisdom is to start that at about year 5
JT-02 hybrid persimmon I’ve seen is a smaller stature tree. Dwarf Girardi Mulberry or weeping could work (I can hook you up with a weeping if a graft takes this year.)
Assuming that you can move the tree into a garage in winter, then there’s no question – a common fig. Try an early ripening variety such as Ronde de Bordeaux, Florea, Improved Celeste, or (not quite as early) Malta Black.
I have >100 fig trees in pots, so I know what I’m suggesting. Starting from a rooted cutting or small air-layered tree, you should expect 20-50 fruits in Year 2 and 100-150 in Years 3 and later. That’s assuming good care (sunshine, fertility, water, but they are not terribly fussy.
I have a seed grown in ground Fukushu kumquat. and a grafted Fukushu kumquat on C35 in a 30-gallon container. Outside yours will need lights and covers.
@z0r - your potted orchard sounds impressive! I would definitely have to set up drip irrigation.
So, a few more thoughts. I would like something that produces a decent size crop that stores well or can be preserved. I also don’t feel like putting a lot of energy into protecting said crop from the birds. So, probably a no to cherries, blueberries or mulberries. Besides, I already have blueberries going.
@disc4tw Ryan, I already have two Jt-02 persimmons in 15 gal. pots. They haven’t produced yet (this will be their third year ) so I’ll wait to see the results before adding another one. I do love persimmons though.
@jrd51 A fig would be an obvious choice! I already have probably 40 of those though, and hardly any room in the garage.
So, taking into account all the comments, here’s the shortlist:
Korean Giant Asian pear with something grafted on it for pollination. I really like the idea of a large crop.
Redlove apple - I’ve been wanting a red-fleshed apple for a while, and again, love the idea of a heavy crop that can be stretched over weeks.
Reliance peach - this is an easy out. I already have one that I bought on a whim last season. It got delivered super late and is currently in the garage in a 5 gal pot. I need to find a permanent home for it come spring.
) so I’ll wait to see the results before adding another one. I do love persimmons though.