With proper care and attention, growing anything including fruit trees organically is possible. The beauty of fruit trees is that they can thrive under most climatic conditions. But, you must be ready to commit and care for the trees until they establish a strong growth base. It is recommended to start your fruit trees with trees native to your region.

Fruit trees to start with

Apples

Apples are easy to grow and adapt easily to different growth conditions. They require a 6.5 pH level to thrive but can grow successfully in fertile, well-drained soils. However, there are different apple tree varieties that may require varying conditions to grow. For instance, liberty and freedom varieties are disease resistant and adapt to cold and harsh climatic conditions. Pink lay and Anna varieties thrive under mild winter like conditions. The trick to growing apples is identifying two varieties that are good pollinators and can survive naturally within your region.

Cherries

There are two main cherry types; compact sweet types like Stella and pie or sour types like North Star or Montmorency. To thrive, cherry trees require near neutral but fertile soils as well as excellent air circulation. It is advisable to focus on small cherry trees that are not more than 12 feet tall. Such trees can be easily protected from birds and diseases by covering with protective nets or spraying with kaolin clay.

Citrus fruits

Regular citrus hybrids include; Satsuma, Meyer lemon, kumquat and mandarin orange. The four hybrids can easily thrive organically because their rinds and leaves protect the crops from pests. However, their tolerance to cold is limited. As such, you may have to cover them when it is extremely cold or below freezing point.

Nectarines and peaches

Nectarines and peaches are high demand fruits hence, must appear in the list of starter fruit trees. Cultivating and growing these fruit trees organically requires excellent soil, garden site, and pest management skills. They require deep soil without hardpan or subsoil. However, some varieties may thrive in warmer and colder climatic areas.

Plums

If grown under the right conditions, plum trees yield sweet and juicy fruits that may vary in color; from dark purple to light green. Though they are prone to diseases and freezing, they adapt to zone 4 to 8 areas and require compatible pollinators to produce good yields.

Pears

Pears are easy to grow in a wide range of areas and weather conditions. Most organic farmers may grow pears in place of apples or vice versa. However, pears are not cold hardy as compared to apples but are easy to cultivate and manage organically. It is advisable to go for pear varieties that are native to your area and fire resistant. For instance, the honeysweet varieties are great for zones 4 to 7 while the Asian pears thrive under zone 5 to 8. Note that, most pear varieties must be harvested before they ripen fully.

Bottom line

There are numerous fruit tree types that can be grown organically without requiring much care and resource dedication.