If you want to add an orchard on your property, or enjoy fruit grown on the balcony, there is a deciduous fruit tree for everyone. Best planted in winter and spring, here are some of the top deciduous fruit trees for Auckland.
Plums
Plums are best eaten straight off the tree, but are also wonderful in cakes, ice creams, jams, syrups or for bottling. Harvest times are usually mid to late summer. There are no true dwarf plums, but they can be kept small by hard pruning.
Peaches
Known for their slightly fuzzy texture, cooking uses and unique flavour, peaches are best harvested from the tree when they give a little when squeezed and are a nice, rich skin colour. All peaches are self-fertile and do not need another variety to set fruit.
Nectarines
When growing your own nectarines, you can enjoy the taste and smell that some supermarket fruit seems to lack. They are best eaten soon after harvesting as they tend to ripen quickly off the tree. All nectarines are self-fertile, making them a good choice if you only have space for one fruit tree.
Apples
Apple trees are arriving in garden centres this August. The fruit ripens later in mid-autumn in Auckland. Dwarf varieties will take two years to fruit once planted, however normal apples may take up to three years depending on the soil and placement.
Pears
With fruit perfect for bottling, cooking and eating straight off the tree, pear trees come into garden centres in August as well. Most pears need pollinators to produce fruit, so two different varieties in the same area is recommended.
