low-bearing fruit tree

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ShayAllen Houston, TX Jun 02, 2012

This is my first year of vegetable gardening. Everything is going very well.

My wife wants to plant some fruit trees, but I'm wary. My father-in-law planted citrus trees a few years ago, and he's got hundreds of pounds of fruit to deal with every year. I like fruit, but I don't eat much sugar and already have a fig tree.

Is there anything low-producing we could plant that would give us the satisfaction of a small harvest without the responsibility and mess of, for example, a loquat tree?

I live in Houston.

Thank you.

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NatureLover1950 Vicksburg, MS(Zone 8a) Jun 04, 2012

Does it have to be trees? How about trying a few blackberries or blueberries? I have six blueberry bushes because hubby and I like some to eat but, like you, I don't want a whole bunch to deal with. I used to have eight Navaho thornless blackberries that put out huge, sweet berries and I loved them but, unfortunately, fire blight took them all out. There is an antibiotic treatment for fire blight so I'm considering getting more blackberries and having some of the antibiotic on hand to keep the fire blight under control. If your wife insists on fruit trees, why not try a couple of dwarf varieties so you're not overwhelmed with fruit? I also have a couple of dwarf plum trees that put out very good, sweet plums but not hundreds of pounds.

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behillman Plantersville, TX(Zone 9a) Jun 20, 2012

You could always give your fruit away to people who would appreciate it. Fruit is pretty expensive in the supermarkets.

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medlarman Fairfax, VA(Zone 7a) Jul 11, 2012


You could plant dwarf fruit trees. These are naturally small and thus don't produce very much per tree. I think just about every common fruit has dwarfing rootstock.

If you want something full-size or semi-dwarf, then you can plant something for which you'll have competition. Cherries, for example. The birds are crazy about them and will eat anything you don't.

You might also try a jujube or something else with a very long harvest season. Some jujubes will ripen and then dry on the tree, allowing you to take as much time as you like to deal with them.

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medlarman Fairfax, VA(Zone 7a) Jul 11, 2012

Maybe not cherries, which evidently have a rough time of it in Texas. Perhaps mulberries, instead?

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