Growing season is upon us! With so many of us stuck at home, our plant pickings are pretty slim.
Many people have turned to the Columnar Fruit Tree as an option for their balcony greenery, and they’re delightful to see!
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So, what’s a Columnar Fruit Tree, anyway?
It’s a fruit tree that grows up instead of out.
Rather than spread outwards like most trees, the Columnar Fruit Tree grows upwards in a gorgeous column — hence the name.
They’re perfect for small gardens.
Or balcony gardens! They take up a very small amount of space, so you can have a few at a time if you want. They grow about eight-10 feet tall.
The only true Columnar trees are apple trees.
Well, right now, at least! There are some low-profile peach, cherry, and plum trees, but they’re not proper Columnar trees. A true Columnar will only spread out by two-three feet.
A Columnar fruit tree won’t produce as much fruit as a normal fruit tree.
But it does produce normal size apples! Rest assured you’ll be able to snack on or bake with normal apples.
There’s a few varieties, according to Fine Gardening . Let’s check them out.
And your options are:
“Northpole” will remind you of a McIntosh apple. “Golden Sentinel” is similar to Golden delicious in flavor. “Scarlet Sentinel” produces green-yellow apples with a red blush.”
All three form gorgeous, edible plants for you to enjoy.
You’ll need at least two for pollination.
Because apples need pollination from different types of apple trees, you’ll need at least two different plants to help your apple trees thrive. Place them relatively near each other and let them do their thing!
They don’t mind being in containers.
These really are the ideal balcony plant. These fruit trees don’t need to be planted in the ground — any large container will do, so get creative with it!
Here’s how to care for them.
Water them regularly, making sure that the soil isn’t oversaturated or super dry. A fertilizer is also a good idea for them during the growing season. You gotta give them the best chance possible!
They don’t need much maintenance, either.
Apart from pruning dead branches, the Columnar trees are pretty self-sufficient. Sit back and wait for them to produce some true, home-grown fruit right on your balcony! Now that’s what I call urban gardening.
