Fruit trees are great for sprucing up a dull yard, attracting those ever important honey bees, and providing yummy fruit to eat! If you can freeze them or can them these fruits will make a great cobbler or pie all year round! Sometimes it’s tough to decide which fruit trees to plant, but if you live in New Jersey this is THE list for you. Here are the 5 Top Fruit Trees for NJ:
Pear
Anjou, Bartlett, and Bosc are great for a NJ climate. Plant them about 20-30 feet apart on a hill or slope (they love good drainage). You’ll need to be sure you’ve got your canning supplies ready though because two pear trees (you must have two to pollinate) can produce up to sixty pounds of fruit a year! Pear trees are susceptible to blight though, so keep a steady watch on those leaves.
Apple
Who doesn’t love fresh apples in the fall? Like the pears, you’re going to need two apple trees for pollination, but not necessarily the same variety of apple! Some of the best ones for New Jersey are Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, red McIntosh, and Gala. Apple trees are most sensitive to fungus, so watch the leaves for rust colored spots.
Peach
New Jersey is one of the leading up-and-comers on the peach front. These make sweet, soft, and fuzzy fruits in the summer heat and will be beautiful all spring long! These trees don’t live as long as other varieties though, so they are great if you don’t want to commit to buckets of peaches for all of eternity. They will provide fruit for about 15-20 years.
Nectarine
The nectarine is awesome if you like the taste of peaches, but aren’t in love with the fuzzy skin. You only need to grow one of these beautiful trees because they are self-fruiting, but make sure to give them plenty of water – nectarines love to soak it up!
Cherry
Montmorency, the English Morello and the Early Richmond are some of the best cherries for the New Jersey climate if you like a sour pucker! These are smaller trees and you only need one, so they’re perfect if you don’t have a lot of space. They’re drought resistance makes them a low maintenance but yummy choice! They do need a frosty winter to produce cherries, so if you don’t get any in a particular season, don’t dig up your tree! Just wait for next year!
Whichever you decide is the fruit tree (or trees) for you just remember to water regularly and prune as needed. If you think you might need a professional opinion just contact us at Trees unlimited and we’d be happy to help! Happy growing!
