7 Top Fruit Garden Planning Mistakes That Worse Your Yield

Do-it-yourself apples, pears or berries are much tastier and healthier than purchased ones. The orchard on my backyard is also a resting place.

But I didn’t start collecting a rich harvest right away. The reason for the initial setbacks lay in the wrong layout of the garden.

Only over time, I realized that at this stage, too, it is necessary to think carefully about everything and use the advice of the "experienced".

Firstly, I did not take into account the peculiarity of the relief. Part of my site slopes towards the south. As a result, the soil warms up faster in spring.

On the one hand, this is good, but for early fruit plants, such a feature can be dangerous.

The apricot began to bloom early, and with the first spring frosts, the harvest was lost. The terrain must be taken into account.

I and my neighbors had other mistakes when planning an orchard:

1. An acquaintance lives in an area where groundwater is close to the surface. This is not scary for shrubs and berry trees, but pears and apple trees cannot stand this.

2. I was lucky, there were already tall stands around my site. But for many gardens, the open area becomes destructive. The winter winds blow away the snow and the plants freeze. In summer, an open area is also harmful, it is difficult for bees to do their job.

3. I wanted to plant my favorite varieties on my site, but did not take into account that they were not intended for the area where I live. You need to choose plants adapted to local conditions.

4. Planting as many plants as possible does not mean getting a rich harvest. Every shrub or tree needs free space to grow properly. Thickness of the planting must not be allowed.

5. Don't forget about pollinator plants. Not all, but many fruit trees need them. A number of crops alone simply do not yield a harvest.

But my biggest mistake was not having a plan. I planted trees and bushes the way I thought would be more beautiful.

It is imperative to plan where which plant will be located. It is also taken into account which of them will be inter-pollinated, and how they relate to the presence of wind, shadows and much more.

If the garden is large, then we must not forget about the soil. In one corner, it can be sandy, in the other black earth or clay. But each plant has its own requirements for the soil.

I did not take all this into account, as a result I had to redo half of the garden, but in a scientific way.