Fruit Trees

Also see Fruit Tree Care.

Sources

• Stark Brothers has columnar, dwarf, and semi-dwarf apple trees.
• Raintree Nursery, based in Washington State, has espaliered, multi-variety apple trees. They also have persimmon trees.
• Ploughshares Nursery, Alameda.
• Orchard Nursery, Lafayette.
• Grow Organic – online, pluerry

Apple Growing

Varieties such as Fuji grow better with a cross pollinator planted within 100 feet. For Fuji apples, flowering crabapples work as do Gala, Golden or Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, or Profusion.

Fuji apple trees get from 15 to 20 feet wide. They need 200 to 400 chill hours (“low chill”) and full sun. Soil should be well draining.

2026/03/14 Farmer Bob attended an apple tree grafting workshop at UCBG and came home with one Gravenstein bareroot tree and one Pink Pearl. The scions, from the Filoli estate garden’s Gentleman’s Orchard, were grafted on to MM.111 rootstock. The Gravenstein graft will grow to 10′ to 14′ tall and the Pink Pearl graft will grow to 15′ to 20′ tall. M.111 rootstock was originally developed at the East Malling Research Station in England. MM.111 rootstock, a cross between Merton 793 and ‘Northern Spy’, produces semi-dwarf trees.

Espaliering

• How to Grow Espalier Apple Trees.
• Stark Bros on Espalier Fruit Trees.
• Espaliered apple and pear trees at Filoli.
• The National Gardening Association.
• Mother Earth News.
• The Art of Doing Stuff.
• cool photos in Garden Design.

Persimmons

Persimmon trees need cross pollination. Chocolate and CoffeeCake Persimmon trees pair well.

Avocado

Avocado trees are Type A, morning blooming, or Type B, afternoon blooming. To get fruit, the two types need to cross-pollinate.