The Urban Farm Tree Tour

  Last Friday I attended The Urban Farm Tree Tour to hear the Valley's guru of desert urban farming, Greg Peterson, discuss the process he has gone though in planning and planting his own Urban Farm in central Phoenix. Over the years Greg has inspired many desert dwellers to be bold and dare try to grow fruit trees in our arid unforgiving heat, and with great success!

The tour is just part of the Urban Farm's Fruit Tree Program, and is in it's 17th year!  The program offers classes, online and in person, to help you in planning your orchard layout and in selecting the trees that will best thrive in our climate.

Local media was there interviewing Greg Peterson about the
Urban Farm's Fruit Tree Program, helping to spread the gospel of
good sustainable urban farming!

Greg pointed out a number of things I wish I had known BEFORE I planted my fruit trees.  First is to plant fruit trees with a short ripe period (like peach and plum) close to where you hang out in your yard so you can easily spot the ripened fruit before the birds do.  Fruit trees like citrus and apples which hold their ripe fruit much longer can go towards the back recesses of your yard.

Another thing I never knew was that its good to thin the fruit on your trees.  Greg's method is to just shake the tree :-).  Thinning the fruit allows the remaining fruit to fully mature, and grow a bit larger, that way you don't end up with an over-stressed tree full of half-grown fruit.

Greg also pointed out that if you are low on space, you can successfully plant 3 trees in one hole.  You will want to do some research on which trees are compatible, consider varied ripening seasons, and do plenty of pruning to not let one tree dominate.

I love that Greg saved and re-purposed the dead grapefruit tree
that had originally supported a single grape vine, using it now to support
one side of a now sprawling grape arbor.

The bare root fruit trees will be available at The Urban Farm's pop-up nurseries through January, February, and March, right at the time you need to plant them.  I'm running out of room in my yard so I had to restrain myself and only buy 3 trees - a Pakistani Mulberry, a Bearrs Lime, and a Tango Mandarin.  If you are ready to order or just want to check out the selection, go here. 

Another tidbit of info before you order - if you are an orange lover and want to extend your harvest, consider planting a Trovita Orange, they ripen in February and March!

The next hands-on class is Fruit Tree Pruning on Saturday Dec. 10th from 9am to 11am at The Urban Farm.  To attend sign up here.

Special thanks to Greg Peterson and his crew at The Urban Farm for an awesome tour and for helping us desert rats grow fruit in the valley of the sun :-)