There are numerous fruit trees that can easily fertilize themselves and thus save a lot of space in the garden, on the terrace or in the greenhouse. We will introduce you to 20 types in detail.
Pome fruit: 6 self-fertilizers
Chokeberry(Aronia)
- all 3 types form edible fruits
- Growth height: up to 250 cm
- shrubby growth, upright, deciduous, dark green foliage
- can be trained as a high trunk to become a fruit tree
- Flowering period: May to early June
- single double panicle flowers, white
- Harvest time: late August to mid-October
- Black fruits, round, extremely rich in vitamins, are eaten by birds
- sour aroma
- Self-pollinator attracts numerous pollinator insects
- sunny to partially shaded, sandy, dry, fresh, well-drained
- hardy
Edible mountain ash 'Edulis'(Sorbus aucuparia 'Edulis')
- Height: 600 to 1,500 cm
- fast growth, slender, multi-stemmed, pyramidal crown, summer green, dark green foliage
- Flowering period: May to mid-June
- simply double umbels, white, rich in flowers
- Harvest time: late August to early November, the first frost intensifies the taste
- Edible fruits, pleasantly sour taste, orange or red, extremely rich in vitamins, are eaten by birds
- sunny to partially shaded, solitary position, undemanding on the ground
- hardy
Service tree(Sorbus torminalis)
- Height: 700 to 2,500 cm
- Upright growth, dense, round crown, attractive autumn colors, deciduous, intensely green foliage with a bluish underside
- Flowering period: May to mid-July
- simply double panicle flowers, white, small
- Harvest time: from October
- Fruits reddish to brown with white dots, apple-shaped, quite small, overripe fruits popular with birds
- Cook fruits before consumption
- The taste is reminiscent of marzipan or almonds
- sunny to partially shaded, avoid salty soils, dry, fresh, nutrient-rich, preferably lime, well-drained
- needs winter protection
Medlar(Mespilus germanica)
- Growth height: 500 to 600 cm
- crooked growth, broad crown, deciduous, intensely green foliage
- Flowering period: late April to mid-June
- simply double single flowers, on short shoots, white, large
- Harvest time: late October to late November
- Fruits orange-brown, spherical, hairy, covered with small warts
- sweet aroma, fine acidity
- sunny to partially shaded, nutritious, calcareous
- hardy
quince(Cydonia oblonga)
- Height: 400 to 800 cm
- small shrubby tree, upright, spreading crown, deciduous, pale green foliage
- Flowering period: May to mid-June
- simply double single flowers, white, pink, large
- Harvest time: October, check ripeness
- Fruits yellow, large (up to 500 g), pear-shaped, extremely rich in vitamins, covered with tannin-rich fluff
- sourish sweet taste, skin intensely bitter
- Wash and heat before consumption (eliminates bitter taste of the peel)
- sunny to partially shaded, moist, fresh, deep, nutritious
- hardy
Service tree(Sorbus domestica)
- Height: 400 to 3,000 cm
- short stem, broad, crown round, deciduous, green glossy foliage
- Flowering period: May to June
- simply double umbels, white, rich in flowers
- Harvest time: September to the end of October
- Fruits red-yellow to olive-brown, resemble small apples or pears in shape, quite large
- attracts pollinator insects and birds
- bitter taste, much more tasty due to processing
- sunny to partially shaded, fresh, nutrient-rich, well-drained, does not tolerate salt
- hardy
- tolerates heat very well
7 self-fertile stone fruit trees
apricot(Prunus armeniaca)
- also known as apricot
- Height: 500 to 1,000 cm
- vigorous growth, broad crown, deciduous, green foliage
- Flowering period: March to April
- single or double flowers, white, pale pink
- Harvest time: mid-July to early September (at the latest)
- Fruits light yellow, orange, reddish, round, smooth, juicy, size depends on the variety
- aromatic taste, sweet
- attracts pollinator insects
- sunny, humic, normal, well-drained
- hardy, late frosts sometimes problematic
Note: If you want to cultivate the cherry (apricot and cherry hybrid), you also do not need a fertilizer. They fertilize themselves without any problems.
Cowardly(Ficus carica)
- Growth height: 250 to 500 cm
- Growth habit strongly dependent on the variety, mostly broad crown, twisted or bent trunk, deciduous
- forms irritating milky sap in all parts of the plant except the fruits
- Flowering period: March to mid-August (depending on the climate)
- inconspicuous flowers
- Harvest time: mid-August to the end of December
- Fruits in green to purple color, soft pulp, characteristic shape
- sweet aroma
- sunny, loamy, loose, nutritious, sour
- hardy, winter protection recommended
elder(Sambucus)
- Height: 100 to 1,500 cm
- loose growth, upright, deciduous, dark green foliage
- Flowering period: June to mid-July
- simply double racemes, umbrella racemes or terminal flowers, white
- Harvest time: late September to mid-October
- Fruits red, blue or black, round, small
- tart aroma, sometimes bitter, sweet aftertaste
- Flowers also edible
- attracts pollinator insects and birds
- sunny to partially shaded, nutrient-rich, moist, normal, well-drained
- hardy
peach(Prunus persica)
- Height: 100 to 800 cm
- well branched habit, upright, crown mostly close to the ground, deciduous, medium green foliage
- Flowering period: April to mid-May
- simply double single flowers, five-fold, yellow, pale pink, red
- Harvest time: late July to early September
- Fruits hairy, round or flat, juicy, greenish or yellow, usually red, sunny side
- sour-sweet taste
- sunny to partial shade, humic, fresh and moist, well-drained
- hardy
- Apricots (Prunus persica var. nucipersica) can also fertilize themselves
plum(Prunus domestica)
- Height: 600 to 1,000 cm
- medium-strong growth, sparse, deciduous, intensely green foliage
- Flowering period: April to mid-May
- golden inflorescences, 2 to 3 flowers per inflorescence, white, white-green, yellow-green
- Harvest time: July to mid-October (depending on the variety)
- Fruits yellow-greenish, yellow, reddish, purple, blue, blue-black, lavender, black, round or egg-shaped, smooth skin
- sweet to sour aroma (depending on the variety and maturation period)
- sunny to partial shade, humic, fresh and moist, well-drained
- Pollen donors
- hardy
Note: All plum subspecies such as plums and mirabelle plums also belong to the self-fertilizers. These can be recognized by the botanical name Prunus domestica subspecies.
Sour cherries(Prunus cerasus)
- Height: 100 to 1,000 cm
- well branched habit, upright, slightly hanging, deciduous, medium green foliage
- Flowering period: April to May
- simply double umbels, white
- Harvest time: 4. and 5. Cherry week (2. July to 24. July)
- Fruits red or dark red, rounded, juicy
- mild acidity in the taste, tart to spicy
- sunny to partial shade, humic, fresh and moist, well-drained, rich in nutrients
- hardy
Sweet cherry 'Lapins'(Prunus avium 'Lapins')
- one of the few self-pollinating varieties of the species
- Height: 300 to 600 cm
- compact growth, steep, weakly branched, deciduous, soft green foliage
- Flowering period: April to May
- simply filled, radial symmetry, white
- Harvest time: 6. and 7. Cherry week (26. July to 20. August)
- Fruits dark red, large, juicy
- sweet in taste
- sunny, normal, permeable
- hardy
2 types of soft fruit
Currants(Ribes species)
- Growth height: up to 150 cm
- Upright growth, small tree, some species develop thorns, deciduous, intensely green foliage
- Flowering period: May to early June
- simply double, in umbellate, racemose or umbrella racemes, white, greenish, yellowish, red, purple
- Harvest time: from Midsummer Day (24. June) to the end of August (strongly dependent on species and variety)
- Fruits red or black, round, small
- Taste depends on type and variety
- sunny to partially shaded, nutrient-rich, humic
- hardy
Black mulberry(More nigra)
- Growth height: up to 1,200 cm
- Upright growth, densely branched, decorative, rounded crown, deciduous, dark green foliage
- Flowering period: May to mid-June
- inconspicuous flowers, yellowish color
- Harvest time: July to mid-August
- Fruits in dark purple or black, shape reminiscent of blackberries
- Sweet and sour aroma, spicy character, intense
- sunny to partially shaded, normal, prefers limestone soils, well-drained
- hardy, winter protection or winter quarters required in particularly cold locations
5 exotic species presented
pomegranate(Punica granatum)
- Growth height: 250 to 500 cm
- bushy growth, upright, with thorns, deciduous, green foliage
- Flowering period: June to September
- single bell flowers, white, yellow, red
- Harvest time: September to mid-October (only from 2. Year of status)
- large, red capsule fruits, filled with numerous seeds, juicy, round, juice rubs off
- sunny, sandy, loamy, fresh, well-drained, loose, needs a high proportion of minerals
- hardy to -5 ° C, overwinter in winter quarters
Persimmon(Diospyros kaki)
- Height: 1,000 to 2,000 cm
- Growth reminiscent of apple trees, scaly bark, upright, summer green, dark green foliage with a light green underside
- Flowering period: May to June
- Radially symmetrical flowers, yellowish, greenish, inconspicuous
- Harvest time: late September to late October
- large fruits, shape and color depending on the variety or subspecies, mostly yellow, orange, red, very rich in vitamins
- furry, needs to mature, then tart to sweet (depending on ripeness)
- sunny to partial shade, protected, loamy, humic, deep, does not tolerate lime, rich in nutrients
- hardy to -15 ° C, winter protection may be necessary in cold regions
Grapefruit(Citrus maxima)
- Growth height: up to 300 cm
- bushy growth, upright, spreading, evergreen, with thorns in the leaf axes, light green foliage
- strongly varying flowering time
- solitary or in ears, white
- Harvest time strongly dependent on flowering time (depending on the temperature, it sometimes fails)
- Fruits in green to yellow color, round, very large (up to 20 cm in diameter), extremely rich in vitamins
- Basically bitter taste with subtle sweetness or acidity
- sunny, well structured, well drained, with drainage
- not hardy, does not survive even the slightest frost
- exclusively in pails
Yuzu(Citrus junos)
- Height: 150 to 300 cm
- bushy growth, upright, with thorns, evergreen, intensely green foliage
- Flowering period: May to early June
- simple, white
- Harvest time: October to December
- Fruits intensely yellow, rounded, extremely rich in vitamins
- sunny, tolerable partial shade, protected, well structured, well-drained, with drainage, rich in nutrients
- winter hardy down to -12 ° C, can be planted in suitable locations, otherwise only keep in pots
Lemons(Citrus limon)
- Growth height: 400 to 500 cm
- bushy growth, upright, fast-growing compared to other citrus species, evergreen, green foliage
- Flowering period: May to mid-August
- single unfilled flowers, white, intense scent, sometimes even putrid
- Harvest time: September to the end of November (maturity depends on size)
- high yields possible
- Fruits sunny yellow, fist-sized, oval, elongated
- intensely sour taste
- sunny, ideally facing south, protected, high-quality citrus soil recommended for fruit trees, humic, well-drained
- not hardy, winter protection or winter quarters necessary
