How to pick fruit trees for Seattle
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Since there's such a variety of fruit trees that thrive in the Pacific Northwest, choosing the right ones for home planting comes down to taste, time and purpose, according to Laura Sweany, horticulturist at Raintree Nursery.
How it works:: First, decide what you plan to do with the fruit: eat fresh off the tree, bake, can or store.
- For fresh eating, it's hard to beat Zestar and Belmac apples, Sweany said.
- But you can peruse Raintree's website for more recommendations, check out Northwest Fruit in Mount Vernon or join a local fruit club, such as the Vashon Island Fruit Club or the Seattle Tree Fruit Society where you can taste different varieties and get loads of local growing tips.
Think about space, but don't be tied to some conceptions about how much room fruit trees need.
- Espaliered trees, which are trained to grow horizontally along a flat surface, like a living fence, can be beautiful solutions for some space needs but require much more pruning and consistent care than other options, Sweany said.
- Consider multi-tree cluster planting for tiny groves as described in "Grow a Little Fruit Tree" by Ann Ralph, which describes, among other ideas, how to create fruit shrubs instead of trees through pruning.
Be smart: Axios reader and garden writer Jill Lightner told Axios that farmers markets can be another great resource to buy and try as many different kinds of fruits as possible.
- Summer apples start rolling in usually around August (be sure to try Gravenstein, she said). Asian pears, which she recommends over European pears for our climate, are typically available in September and October.
Pro tip: Take pictures of the labeled fruit boxes so you don't try eight different ones and then forget which was which, Lightner said.