In this Episode Tom Spellman shares more than five decades of experience growing, propagating, and managing fruit trees, with a focus on what he calls urban fruit tree culture. He explains why backyard growers should prioritize varieties they enjoy, choose trees and rootstocks suited to their climate, manage tree size, and use successive ripening to extend harvests. Tom also discusses protecting fruit trees from heat, sunburn, wind, and sudden weather events through whitewashing, shade, pre-irrigation, and mulching. Throughout the conversation, he emphasizes a simple goal for backyard growers: get a little bit of fruit all the time rather than an overwhelming amount all at once.

Our Guest: Tom Spellman has been involved in the nursery business since 1973. At that time, he was a freshman in high school and rode his skateboard to work. Since then he has worked for several different nurseries including La Verne Nursery where he was general manager for 20 years. And Dave Wilson Nursery where he was the southwestern sales Manager for over 20 years. Since retiring he is an Urban Fruit Tree and orchard consultant. Most of all he is the person that knows more about fruit trees than anyone else I know!

Key Topics & Entities

Urban fruit tree culture
Fruit tree variety selection
Rootstocks and climate adaptability
Tree size management
Successive ripening
Bare root fruit trees
Desert fruit tree growing
Sunburn and sunscald protection
Wind stress and windbreaks
Pre-irrigation before extreme heat
Mulching and soil temperature
Companion planting
Citrus in desert climates
Container-grown citrus

Key Questions Answered

What is urban fruit tree culture?

Urban fruit tree culture is growing fruit trees under limited backyard conditions, where space is restricted and the goal is to make the most productive use of that space. Tom recommends growing varieties you actually like and will use while considering climate, geography, and soil type.

Why is tree size management so important for backyard growers?

Backyard growers generally don't need hundreds of pounds of one type of fruit at once. Keeping trees compact makes pruning, thinning, harvesting, and other maintenance easier while allowing multiple varieties to be grown in the same space.

How can successive ripening extend a backyard harvest?

By planting varieties that ripen at different times, gardeners can harvest the same type of fruit over a much longer period. Instead of getting one large crop for two weeks, several varieties can provide fruit for a month and a half or longer.

How should gardeners choose a fruit tree rootstock?

The rootstock needs to be adapted to the gardener's climate and soil as well as the variety itself. Tom explains that desert growers need rootstocks capable of handling heat, sandy soil, low-desert conditions, and alkalinity.

Why are bare root trees pruned before planting?

When bare root trees are dug, their roots are pruned. The top should be pruned back to balance the reduced root system so the tree can establish new growth successfully. Tom's experiments show that heavily pruned bare root trees can develop significantly more vigor and new scaffold growth than unpruned trees.

How can fruit trees be protected from extreme desert heat?

Tom recommends protecting exposed bark from sunburn with a breathable whitewash, using limited temporary shade during a tree's first summer, and thoroughly pre-irrigating before a predicted extreme heat event.

How does mulch help fruit trees in hot climates?

A four- to six-inch layer of mulch can keep soil temperatures significantly cooler, improve water retention, increase biological activity, and reduce weed seed germination. Tom also recommends maintaining a broad mulched basin around fruit trees.

What is the advantage of companion planting around young fruit trees?

The space around young trees is already being irrigated and maintained, so annual or temporary companion crops can make productive use of that space while the trees are becoming established. Crops such as cowpeas and sweet potatoes can also help reduce ground temperatures.

Why is citrus especially valuable for desert gardeners?

Citrus offers a wide range of varieties with different harvest periods. By selecting varieties with different seasons, gardeners can potentially harvest citrus for many months of the year.

Can people grow citrus in climates where it cannot survive outdoors year-round?

Yes. Tom describes container culture as an option for people with sunrooms or greenhouses. Trees can be moved outdoors after the danger of frost and brought back inside when cold weather returns.

Why is container culture difficult in the desert?

Extreme heat and sun can create severe stress for container-grown trees. Tom explains that some desert wholesale growers use a "pot in pot" system, placing containers into the ground to keep the root zone cooler.

What is the main difference between commercial and backyard fruit growing?

Commercial growers generally want a large quantity of one variety to ripen at the same time for efficient harvest and marketing. Backyard growers usually benefit more from the opposite approach: multiple varieties that provide a smaller amount of fruit over a longer period.

Episode Highlights

Tom began working in a nursery at age 13, riding his skateboard about a mile and a half to work.
He spent 20 years working with mentor Dieter Lotter at La Verne Nursery and describes that experience as an education that couldn't be bought in school.
Urban fruit tree culture starts with growing what you like, what you will use, and what is adaptable to your climate and soil.
Keeping fruit trees compact allows backyard growers to manage, harvest, and prune them from the ground while making better use of limited space.
Successive ripening allows multiple varieties to share the footprint of one large tree while extending the harvest season.
Pre-irrigating before an extreme heat event can make the difference between severe tree damage and a healthy orchard.
A good layer of mulch can cool the soil, conserve water, improve biological activity, and reduce weeds.
Tom's central philosophy for backyard growers is simple: "a little bit of fruit all the time."

For more information on Greg's Urban Farm Fruit Tree program in Phoenix visit FruitTrees.org

Visit www.urbanfarm.org/1005 for the show notes on this episode, and access to our full podcast library!

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1005: Growing Urban Fruit Trees with Tom Spellman

The Urban Farm Podcast with Greg Peterson

1005: Growing Urban Fruit Trees with Tom Spellman