A Tree on the Balcony

"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in." --Greek proverb


"So you're saying it should bear fruit this year?" I had my hands on my hips and was eyeing a beautiful "Reliance" dwarf peach tree at Mahoney's Garden Center.

"Yes, it should," said one of the workers, nodding.

"Hmm..." I mused, studying the 5 foot tall tree, "We were planning on putting it in a container outside. What size would you recommend?" I asked, eyeing the tree suspiciously.

"The bigger the better. Something at least twice the size of what it's in now." It was in a six gallon bucket.

We'd done our research this time. "Reliance" was a type of peach that was not only cold hardy, but also had some disease resistance. It was self-pollinating (meaning we didn't need a second tree for it to produce fruit like most apples require), and grafted on a dwarf rootstock so it was a compact little thing. "Reliance" peaches are supposed to be tasty and have a firm flesh that's great for eating, freezing, canning, pie-making, cobbler-making, more eating... my mouth was watering.

Last year, during peach season, I went to the farmer's market, and one of the farmers handed me a peach the size of a softball. I needed two hands to hold it.

"Just try it," he said, giving me a nod of encouragement. Even before I took a bite I could smell it... so fragrant and sweet! I took a huge bite, with peach juices going everywhere. Fantastic!

There's really nothing like a fresh peach, ripened straight off the tree. Because peaches (like tomatoes) bruise so easily, they are often very difficult for grocery stores and distribution centers to handle. Often times the peaches are picked well before they're ripe so they will survive transport to various grocery store locations. They ripen just in time for selling and displaying, but often times, it's at the expense of flavor and texture. Many grocery store varieties are even bred to have tougher skins to prevent bruising during transport. James told me he has always been rather disinclined towards peaches because of their leathery skin... I wonder if this is the reason why. With luck, we'll see if homegrown balcony peaches might change his mind. So, all that said, if you're going to pick a fruit tree to grow in your backyard (or third-floor balcony), a peach tree is an excellent choice!

A tree is a responsibility. An investment. A challenge. But it's also such a hopeful thing to plant. When planting choose a big container with plenty of drainage holes (we're using a grey 18 gallon tubberware bucket) with well-drained soil. You'll need to cut or tease apart the roots which will most likely be concentrated, growing in a circle, at the bottom of the pot it came in. Here's me teasing apart the root ball in a smaller bucket before we plant it in the larger one.

I'm trying very hard not to "weigh my peaches before they're grown", but it is exciting to thing how much this hardy tree might produce. I know something tragic might prevent my harvest, and so I am trying not to get my hopes too high. The diseases associated with fruit trees are many and not entirely pleasant (what disease is?), and I must admit it's a tad intimidating just opening a book to the "pests and diseases" section. Just think of the horrible thought of eating an apple and finding a worm in it... that's what I'm up against... a whole host of wormy bugs and fungi and viruses that go after innocent little peach trees. The peachtree borer, for instance, burrows into the tree's trunk and eventually cuts off the tree's circulation, killing it just like that. Or peach leaf curl which cause leaves to get all puckered and reddish and reduce future harvests as the leaves fall off and weaken the tree. Oriental fruit moth, plum curculio, brown rot, perennial canker, and bacterial leaf spot, oh my! Awwhhh!!... can people really grow peaches without using tons of chemicals and expensive sprays?! Well, you can. As Taylor's Guide to Fruits and Berries says, "The trick is vigilance." And if you find a disease-resisitant tree variety, that helps, too.

There are often signs to watch for to know if your tree is in trouble and often ways to deal with it quickly and painlessly, esp. if you catch it early. Like the peach tree borer... if you see sap oozing or sawdust around a freshly dug small hole in the tree trunk, take a straightened out paper clip and poke around in the hole to kill the little borer inside. That's it. You saved your tree. Some pests are harder to get rid of, but keeping an eye on your tree and knowing what to

expect helps things tremendously. And really, if you have a just one healthy, well-watered fruit tree in good soil, it's encouraging to know you don't by any means run the same level of risk or intensity of bugs that big orchards do. Also, if you garden without pesticides/chemicals, you'll also have a whole host of beneficial bugs and fungi on your side ready to help you repel the pests. Even though the fruit tree pests seem scarier or more awful, in the end, they really are no more terrible than the ones that go after vegetables.

By the way, the peach tree has been officially named Peter. Peter the Peach.

Here's a picture of James and Peter. =). James and the Dwarf Peach... perhaps not the best title for a book, but I like it. The adventure continues!

P.S. I bet you're wondering how we got a full peach tree home? We really were contemplating using the subway and bus system... and were all prepared to carry our tree onto the bus with us. Though, in the end we decided to rent a Zipcar and minimize branch/bus/pedestrian interference issues. Definitely the way to go.