                             THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, March 24, 1996                 TAG: 9603220106
SECTION: HOME                     PAGE: G3   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: ROBERT STIFFLER
                                             LENGTH: Medium:   60 lines

GET STARTED GROWING FRUIT TREES WITH PLANNING AND SPRAYING, YOU'LL GET TASTY RESULTS.

WHEN YOU LOOK at an apple or peach tree this summer and see where birds or squirrels have taken bites, you may wonder if it's worth the effort to try to grow fruit in this area.

From the Shenandoah Valley research station for Virginia Tech, Ed Phillips writes, ``For a good gardener, fruit production in your area, with careful selection of site and varieties, plus a preventive pest control program, should present no greater problem than a vegetable or ornamental garden.''

So you've made the decision. You want to grow your own fruit. At least you'll know what was sprayed on the fruit before you eat it.

But plant now, because early spring is the ideal time.

Here are some tips for success:

Select varieties best suited for the South. Local garden centers will have them and mail-order nurseries usually specify those that do best in this area.

Grow dwarf trees, unless you have a huge lot. With dwarf trees, you'll be picking fruit within three years.

Plant two or more varieties of each, so they have the best pollination.

Select a site with care. Good air flow is essential. Avoid low spots that hold water and areas exposed to strong prevailing winds.

Prepare the soil just as thoroughly as for a vegetable garden. Make the hole twice as wide and no deeper than the tree had previously been planted, whether in a container or bare root. Do NOT use peat moss. Put back in the hole the same soil you took out.

If the tree came out of a container and the roots are encircled, pull them apart with your fingers so they'll seek out the soil.

Mulch around each tree with pine straw or bark.

Use no fertilizer at planting time. Your trees can be fertilized this fall and next spring with a special fertilizer.

Don't forget to spray. The old rule is that seven sprays are required for good fruit. But if it rains right after you spray, you'll need to spray again, so more than seven may be necessary. Use any good orchard spray that contains an insecticide and fungicide, available in garden centers. Or there are plenty of organic sprays available.

If you don't like to spray but want fresh fruit, plant raspberries, strawberries or blueberries. They require little or no spraying. MEMO: If you're looking for unusual fruit to plant, write for the catalog of

Edible Landscaping, P.O. Box 77, Afton, Va. 22920. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic