5 Fruit Tree And Shrub Combinations You Shouldn't Grow Too Close Together In Your Yard

Fruit trees and shrubs are a satisfying way to grow your own food and one of the best ways to bring more biodiversity to your garden. There are many dwarf varieties and berry bushes available if your space is limited. In my work as a professional gardener, I've advised a lot of clients about growing fruit trees and micro-orchards. Before adding fruit plants to your garden, it's good to know their optimal growing conditions, including location. Here's some information on a few fruit trees and shrubs that you should avoid planting too closely together.

Generally, similar varieties of fruit trees and berries grow well together (apples and pears, or peaches and plums are good companions). Some species require a different variety for cross-pollination: neglecting this is a common mistake made by gardeners new to growing fruit trees. Also, it's important to know what a tree or shrub's mature size will be to choose the best spot: standard trees can reach 20-25 feet or taller while some dwarf varieties are only two feet tall. 

Other factors include sun exposure and soil needs. Fruit trees need full sun. I've seen wild berries (like wild raspberries) adapt to fruiting at a forest's edge in dappled sun, but cultivated berries grow best in full sun. Most fruit trees and berries thrive in neutral to slightly acidic soil, but there are notable exceptions. Blueberries need acidic soil, while fig trees and cherry trees prefer slightly alkaline soil. Finally, do some research into potential pests and diseases so you can avoid problems: raspberries, for example, are best grown alone because of their potential to develop fungal diseases around their roots.

Plum trees are beautiful fruit trees that produce lush blossoms in spring and delectable fruits that ripen in summer, with varieties in a range of colors from green to red to black. One orchardist I know had a random "mystery" plum tree come up in his orchard, and the juicy pink plums were amazing. Plum trees are somewhat short-lived compared to other orchard trees, though older ones still provide rich wildlife habitat even after fruit production slows down. Since the trees stay fairly small, they can be part of a diverse orchard setting with other stone fruits, apple or pear trees, or various berries. 

However, you should avoid planting them near blueberries, which require acidic soil for good fruit production, as plum trees prefer neutral to slightly alkaline soil. Some orchardists like to test their soil pH occasionally to make sure soil nutrition needs are being met. If your plum trees need a more neutral soil, add a bit of wood ash (from untreated wood), crushed egg shells, or a bit of lime to some shredded bark mulch and layer around the tree base in early spring or mid-autumn. To make the soil more acidic for blueberries, add some peat moss, dried pine needles, and/or coffee grounds to your soil mix when planting. Or, for established plants, mix these amendments with shredded pine bark to use as a mulch in spring or fall. 

Stone fruits (peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines, cherries, etc.) produce gorgeous blossoms in spring and delicious fruit in summer. While most stone fruit trees can be grown side by side, and many orchardists will place plums, peaches, apricots, and/or nectarines rows next to each other, peaches and cherries don't make the best orchard companions. Most fruit trees are heavy feeders, but peaches and cherries in particular absorb a lot of nitrogen from the soil, forcing them to compete for soil nutrients. This may affect their growth cycle, resulting in a low fruit yield, among other problems.  

In addition to not planting peaches and cherries near each other, it's generally a good idea to make sure your fruit trees are grown in soil that has adequate nutrients. There are many ways to add nitrogen to garden soil to make it healthier, including adding soil amendments like aged manure, using a nitrogen-rich fertilizer, or planting nitrogen-fixing crops like legumes, grains, or clover. Avoiding planting grass in orchard areas is also important because grass can absorb too many nutrients and water from fruit trees. If you grow both peaches and cherries, give the trees some space from each other. Also, add a light top dressing of aged manure around the base of the trees in mid-autumn (not too close to the trunk), as they begin to wind down their seasonal growth cycle. 

Honeyberries (Lonicera caerulea var. edulis) are also known as haskaps or blue honeysuckle. These are a relative newcomer to the home fruit growers' garden and are fast becoming a favorite. They're like elongated blueberries with similar color, texture, and taste, and they are also full of antioxidants and vitamin C, like blueberries. They can grow well alongside other berry bushes, like raspberries, currants, or blackberries. However, they also shouldn't be grown near blueberries due to their soil preferences: as mentioned above, blueberries require acidic soil, and honeyberries do best in neutral or mildly alkaline soil. Planting these berries together forces the plants to compete for nutrients. 

Many gardeners who enjoy growing blueberries deal with their fussy soil requirements by either planting them away from plants that don't thrive in acidic soil or growing them in containers. There are many new varieties of blueberries in compact sizes recommended for container growing, so this can be a good option. Some smaller blueberry varieties suitable for growing in pots include the very cold-hardy 'Top Hat,' and the 'Bushel and Berry' cultivars including 'Pink Icing' and 'Sapphire Cascade.'

Both crabapple and fig trees are gorgeous trees that don't grow very tall, so they're good for smaller garden spaces. Some cold hardy fig tree varieties, like Chicago, and the delightfully-named English Brown Turkey, thrive in the same growing zone as crabapples (USDA 4-8) with some winter protection. However, these trees have very different soil needs, so it's not a good idea to plant them too close to one another. Crabapples are happiest in acidic soil and tolerate mildly acidic soil while fig trees like soil that is slightly alkaline or neutral.  

Crabapple and fig trees are also available in semi-dwarf and dwarf varieties. Try the 'Centennial' semi-dwarf crabapple or the compact Sargent crabapple. For small fig trees, you could try Celeste, which is hardy outdoors in USDA Zones 6-9 with some winter protection, or 'Little Ruby,' a smaller tree that can be grown in a container indoors or outdoors — a solution to the soil pH problem. With smaller varieties available, if you have a bit of room, you can fit both kinds of trees in your garden, giving them the different soil environments they need to thrive. Both crabapple and fig trees also respond well to the espalier method of growing which is a way of training their branches against a support structure like a wall or fence, allowing you to grow fruit in a small space. 

Red raspberries are a great food crop if you have room for them. There are many varieties but two main types: summer-bearing which only bears once and everbearing which continues to bear fruit over a long season (Heritage and September are great everbearing varieties). Raspberries are fairly easy to maintain: just cut back the canes each fall. They do have a tendency to spread, but I find that pulling up the young shoots in spring helps manage them. Then I get to give the plants to other gardeners who want berries. Location is important since raspberries like sun, well-drained soil, and space for airflow. 

However, it's important not to plant your raspberries near related plants like other berries with brambles, most notably blackberries, gooseberries, and boysenberries because these berries can spread fungal diseases back and forth to one another. If you want to grow a variety of berries, you will need some space to avoid this potential fungal disease issue. I plant my raspberries in their own separate area and use stakes to keep the plants upright and easy to access. If you notice that your raspberry canes look diseased, you should cut the affected canes back (or pull out the entire plant), and dispose of these damaged plant parts in a lawn bag, not in your compost heap.