We have previously talked about our vegetable garden and our pecan trees. Some other great sources of food to have on your property are fruit trees and berry bushes. Some grow wild and some you can plant. We’ll talk about what to plant, how many to plant and how long to expect until harvest.
On our property we have wild growing blackberries that come out to greet us each spring. They are delicious to just pop in your mouth for a snack or to bake into a cobbler. However, use caution when deciding if wild berries are edible! We also planted raspberries last summer that are growing like crazy. We have not seen any fruit on them yet this year but raspberries can take one to two years until harvest. Most berries will take one to three years to harvest so you will have to be a little patient. You can try planting many variety of berries. Like any fruits or vegetables you will want to think about what you enjoy eating and what grows well in your environment.
Fruit trees are similar to berries, in that they take some time until they are producing fruit. We planted three apple trees and two peach trees around four years ago. They started producing fruit last spring but the deer got to them. This year they came back in and are doing well. You need to plant at least two trees of each so they can pollinate. Apples are great to pick and eat or to make pies and apple butter. The peaches are great for cobblers and jams.
I get great pleasure in checking on our fruit sources. They are a great way to save money and get good quality food straight from the source. I encourage you to try your hand at planting some fruit to reap all of the wonderful benefits!
–Cristie
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