Prune for Small-Space FRUIT TREES

Many fruit trees — including semidwarf varieties — can easily grow to 15 feet and taller. Anyone who’s tried to manage one of these large trees in their backyard will instantly appreciate the value of small fruit trees, which require less space, are easy to care for, and produce fruit in manageable quantities. Growing compact trees allows you to tuck more varieties of fruit into corners of your property or a small orchard, and means you can choose those varieties based on flavor and climate adaptability rather than tree size. Nearly any standard and semidwarf tree — from pears, peaches, and plums to apples and apricots — can be trained to stay much more compact.

The pruning treatment outlined in this article will create an appreciably smaller fruit tree than what most people are used to — as small as most dwarf trees (see “Why