Chapter 3 – Finding quality plants

The age and size of the plant you buy matters a lot. This is especially true with fruit trees. While very small seedlings can be very cheap, they are also very weak and may take several more years before they produce their first fruit.

Speaking from personal experience I am convinced that it is better to buy fruit trees that are already 2 to 3 years old. This size of tree has been through a few winters, it has known the swings of seasonal weather and it has had longer for the graft on the trunk to grow strong.

When buying fruit trees you essentially have two options to choose from; bareroot or container grown.