Espaliered Fruit Trees, Part 4
Now it's time to choose your training
system. There are scads of shapes out there to choose from, but
they come down to one basic decision --- will your main branches be
horizontal, vertical, or at an angle?
Longwood Gardens has discovered that you get the maximum fruit per tree
by using a 45 degree branching angle, like the one shown in the bottom
picture. This shape is often referred to as a "fan" and is also
one of the few espalier techniques which really works with peaches and
nectarines. If you want your garden to wow the neighbors, though,
you might consider creating your own artistic shape. Just keep
the optimal branch angle in mind!
Your chosen training system will help determine what kind of trellis or
other support system you'll build. Walls are a traditional
support --- keep the espaliered fruit tree about six inches from the
wall to allow for air flow and attach the trunk and branches at
intervals with eye bolts or anchors. Wooden or metal trellises
can also be used.
| This post is part of our Espaliered Fruit Trees lunchtime series.
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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.
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