Peaches, nectarines and apricots: can you grow these exotic fruits in the UK?

Thinking of planting a fruit tree? No doubt you'll consider an apple, a plum or a pear tree.But how about something more exotic?  Did you know that you can expect full sized fruit from even tiny, patio-sized fruit trees such as peach, nectarine and apricot?  It’s all about the variety of tree and the rootstock. Here's a simple guide to get you started, it's a lot easier than you might think.  

Peaches, apricots and nectarines are naturally compact and slow growing. In fact, they grow only a few centimetres per year. If you are intending to keep your tree in a pot, the nature of growth means that it won't outgrow its container. You can keep it happy for many years provided you feed and water it regularly.

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Patio-sized peaches and nectarines will be happy in a pot and yet they still provide beautiful pink blossom in spring, followed by full-sized fruit. Patio exotic fruit trees can even be perfectly happy on a balcony. Growing trees in pots gives you the added flexibility of being able to move them around, plus you can take them with you if you move house. This also gives you the possibility of being able to move the tree into a greenhouse or under cover during the winter, for added protection.

‍Patio exotic fruit trees are easy to place in the garden and move around.

Fruit from these little beauties can be amazing. A ripe peach picked from the tree is hard to beat. Apricots are packed with juice and far tastier than the fruit purchased from a supermarket – and the trees themselves are not particularly tender now that modern cultivars are available. Nectarines can be a delicious success too. These trees will thrive on a warm south or south-west-facing wall in a patio pot or grown against the wall in a ‘fan’ shape. They are best out of a heated greenhouse as they like a dormant period during the winter. Who would believe these types of fruit trees would be viable here in the UK?

‍Rootstocks

What rootstock for an exotic fruit tree? One of the most successful is undoubtedly St. Julian A  as it restricts the vigour and size, yet gives the tree enough strength to do what it needs to do. Most fruit trees and some ornamental trees are grafted onto rootstocks. They control the vigour and the ultimate height of a tree and allow them to grow in a smaller space than if they had retained their natural roots. Rootstocks can also improve disease resistance.

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The above patio fruit tree is Prunus persica 'Perzik' and it's a great idea for those wanting to grow exotic fruit in a large pot.

Growing exotic fruit trees in pots

Growing trees in pots gives  the added flexibility of being able to rearrange the containers and move them around the garden in order to catch the maximum amount of sunshine. And you can take them with you if you move house. You can move less hardy trees, such as dwarf peaches, into a greenhouse during the winter, then bring them out on show for the summer. Patio trees are even perfectly happy on a balcony.

‍You can grow fruit on a balcony provided your bushes or trees are protected from wind and they receive enough sunshine.

What you will need to do, however, is to carry out regular pruning on your containerised trees so that the task of picking fruit is simple. You can create easy access to all sides. ‍

Pick your own nectarines! What could be nicer than a patio exotic fruit tree?

Peach trees

Peach tree blossom appears in March and April and is every bit as luscious as a flowering cherry tree blossom! Be careful, however, some flower protection from frost might be necessary in order to safeguard the fruit crop. It might also be necessary to do a bit of manual pollination too. There are few pollinating insects around in early spring, so you can transfer pollen by pushing a soft little paintbrush into the flowers and spreading the pollen from one flower to another.

‍You might be lucky enough to enjoy a mild spring during which plenty of flying insects will be able to pollinate your exotic fruit trees. Otherwise, a manual approach with a paintbrush might be necessary.

Taking care of your patio fruit tree

Regular watering is the key to good, juicy, evenly-sized and shaped fruits. Don't allow your pots to dry out. The containerised fruit trees will also need a high potash feed every couple of weeks during the spring and summer. The fruit, when it appears, will also need to be thinned out. Remove small and mis-shapen fruits when they are very small and aim to have just one fruit every 15cms along the branches. Bear in mind that fruit appears on young shoots that were made in the previous season, so you might need to prune out the older wood as the years go by. Summer pruning is recommended in order to minimise disease.

Fruit trees kept in pots will require regular watering and pruning. But this isn't difficult. Peaches can suffer from peach leaf curl, a fungal disease that is spread by rain splashing on the plants. You can minimise the problem by covering the plants with some sort of rain shelter from January to May, or by moving the plants under cover during this period.

Nectarines

Nectarines come into flower very early and these blooms will therefore need some sort of protection so that the flowers aren’t affected by frost. If this does happen, you are likely to lose your fruit crop.

Amazing blossom above can adorn a patio nectarine tree in early spring. You might need to pollinate by hand to ensure you get some luscious fruit. The trees themselves are tolerant of cold temperatures but they do like to occupy a south-facing position and have some protection from winter chill. They produce fruit at a surprisingly young age, even one-year-old trees try to give you a nectarine or two! You'll probably be delighted by the ease in which this plant produces high yields of fruit.

You can train your fruit trees into different forms such as fan-shaped (diagram below) or bush form.

 Fan-shaped trees trained against a wall are very popular and a patio tree can occupy a pot for as many years as you wish.

A bush form, planted in the garden, can also be highly successful. Basically, the more sunshine your plant receives, the healthier the plant will be and the more fruit you are likely to enjoy.

Apricots

‍Exotic fruit can grow in the UK. You can grow apricots as a patio fruit tree, successfully. Apricots can be just a little more difficult to care for, but this makes them even more desirable! They can tolerate frost, but you will probably need to protect their very early blossom in order to enable the plant to set its fruit. This is one of the earliest plants to flower as the blooms can appear right at the end of February, throughout March.

‍You'll need to do a bit of hand-pollinating. Apricots can sometimes fail for unknown reasons and this is generally due to cold or wet weather.  If you provide sufficient care and protection from the damp, these exotic fruit trees should thrive. Carry out pruning every season without fail in order to encourage a good, bushy tree with a plentiful amount of new growth on which the fruits will appear. They benefit from a sunny, warm position and protection from wind. These trees will benefit from regular feeding and reliable watering too because apricots hate to have dry roots. The rewards are certainly worth any effort that you put in. The fruits are juicy, with the most delicate and pleasing flavour.

‍For all these wonderful, slightly exotic fruits, harvesting should be done in summer when fruit is coloured and the flesh near the stalk feels slightly soft. Fruit generally ripens in stages and when it is ready it should easily come away from the tree. Of course, it tastes best when eaten straight from the tree so take a tissue with you to mop up the juice!

‍Juicy fruit! What's not to love about growing your own patio exotic fruit tree?

So, what are you waiting for? Try growing exotic fruit and reap the rewards of your labours. It's well worth a bit of nurturing for a taste of the Mediterranean!