Fruit and Nut Trees

Pawpaw Fruit

Fruit and Nut trees are a wonderful addition to any yard, garden or open space. With the varieties available at your local nursery, you can have a small orchard, giving you years of fresh food. Fruit and Nut trees will not only provide you with sustenance, but shade, clean air and forage for our local Fauna. 

Staff favorites: Pawpaw, Serviceberry, Persimmon, Elderberry, Chestnut, Hazelnut, Mulberry, Plum, Pear, Apple and Cherry.

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Ask the Experts

Buncombe Fruit & Nut Club
Volunteer organization of fruit
and nut experts.
www.fruitandnutclub.com

Carolina Native Nursery
1126 Prices Creek Road, Burnsville NC 28714
(828) 682-1471
www.carolinanativenursery.com

Nutty Buddy Collective
Nursery and expert fruit & nut tree consultation
www.nuttybuddycollective.com

Pisgah Plants Nursery
74 Curtis Creek Road, Candler NC 28715
(828) 670-8733
www.pisgahplants.com

Reems Creek Nursery
70 Monticello Road, Weaverville, NC 28787
(828) 645-3937
www.reemscreek.com

Southeastern Native Plant Nursery
36 Kel Co Rd  Candler, NC 28715
(828) 670-8330
www.southeasternnatives.com

Useful Plants Nursery
111 Another Way, Black Mountain, NC 28711
(828) 669-6517
www.usefulplants.org

Fruit & Nut Tree Tips

1. Consider the location and size of your new tree and how much space you have to offer. Most fruit bearing trees need a minimum of eight feet of spacing between them to grow properly.
   
2. Unlike fruit trees, nut producing trees are for the most part long lived and require 7 to 15 years before producing nuts. Plant a nut tree for a lifetime!
3. Go Native! Pick your variety based on your location. Native trees grown locally are preferred as the plant is acclimatized to your zone. Click HERE to find your zone.
   
4. Plant your fruit or nut trees in full sun. 
   
5. Bad dirt? Consider amending your soil with an organic composted top soil. After planting, create a dirt & mulch ring around the base of the tree to hold rainwater and lessen the need for weed-whackers. 
6. Once the tree begins to leaf out, feed with an organic fruit/nut tree fertilizer or compost tea every three months until late summer.
7. For watering, we recommend to drill 2 small holes in a 5 gallon bucket. Fill the bucket weekly with water and let the water drain slowly into the base of the tree.
   
8. In the winter months, once the leaves have dropped, prune any dead branches, branches that cross over others, branches that grow toward the center of the tree, or any branch not growing upward in at least a 45 degree angle; these will break when fruit matures.
9. Don't compost your fruit trees dead leaves! Collect and discard any trimmings and leaves in the trash. There may be fungus spores or insect eggs that could harm your trees if left to compost.
10. Deciduous fruit trees such as peach, plum, apricot and apple lose their leaves in the winter, they become dormant. At this time of year, they can be easily planted due to this dormancy. Winter is the best time to prune and care for your fruit & nut trees.