5 Beginner Gardening Mistakes to Avoid When Growing Fruit Trees

[@CozeeLaux]

As a novice gardener, I cant tell you how invaluable your channel has been!!

[@jamesprigioni]

Glad to hear that Plantpatootie! Me and Tuck don't want people making the same mistakes we have, we want people to spend as much time harvesting as possible

[@lindaa2437]

​@@jamesprigioni do you have any videos on how and when to prune older fig trees?

[@TheMillennialGardener]

I had something similar happen to me this season. I let my young satsuma overproduce last year, which bit me this year, because now it is going through an alternate bearing year where it only put fruit on half the tree. Thinning fruit trees is a really important practice. If you don’t do it, you’ll pay for it later.

[@spark-sx8786]

Thanks. This part of the video was really helpful.

[@Growmap]

Yes. Where I live, if you let a fruit tree overproduce one year it may be dead the next. All the fruit trees someone else planted here did that: lived a few years, had one huge harvest and then died before the next season. But it could also be that they had so much fruit trying to reproduce because they were dying from the soil being too much clay here.

[@ccollins7325]

Satsuma is in the citrus family they do not need thinning. They tend to self thin

[@TheMillennialGardener]

@@ccollins7325 most citrus do not self-thin adequately. All fruits self-thin to some extent, even pears, apples and peaches. If you want good fruit quality, you still need to thin on top of it. Fruit trees don’t care about how their fruit tastes. They produce fruits to reproduce. We are the ones that care about fruit quality, so for best results, we need to thin some in most cases.

[@jlseagull2.060]

@@TheMillennialGardener well said. That is my experience although my people argue with me. So….I just go ahead to thin secretly. When harvest time comes, they praise me for growing delicious fruits, still not knowing I did thinning. This way I save my headaches from unnecessary arguments.

[@musicloverUK]

Thanks. Another big one is getting the correct pollinating other Apple to make sure they both fruit. A Bramley won't pollinate any other apple tree, whilst happily allowing others to pollinate it so you need two other apple types for fruit production. 🐝🐝🐝 are doing the pollinating not wind.

[@TheBlackBankai]

Thanks! We love your page. I'm a cannabis grower and we're getting our vegetable and fruit gardens bustling down the road from you. Thanks for helping us feed our family and friends

[@GamingTeaParty]

I imagine James when he's in his sixties still coming into the videos with just as much energy and pep. Keep going, so that I may see this!

[@CornerTalker]

3:07 disease resistance: Liberty Apple, William's Pride, Belmak

[@Rick-H24]

I appreciate you James and this Channel. I know you have heard this alot over the years, just started my first food forest and just got the wood chips down. You the man James stay doing what you are doing. Love me some Tuck also!!

[@yell6375]

I don’t even understand why someone would dislike this! There’s no reason to dislike it!

[@jamesprigioni]

Someone comes early and dislikes all the videos sometimes, not sure why but hey at least they are watching 🤣

[@yell6375]

@@jamesprigioni gotta get the views!

[@jjayneartworkx]

I'm on the west coast and I'll just say Mr Dave Wilson has it going on with his fruit trees...my 2 blueberries from his nursery produce wonderfully, and I have a dozen plants from different ones.

[@pattiyoung2711]

Thanks!

[@leanev]

When I Purchased my first cherry tree I had no idea why I was doing.. I bought a sour cherry on a a normal root stock.. 😂 I rent and have a tiny garden! So I kept it in a pot for 3 years This year I bought a Victoria Plum on a pixy rootstock. They do really well where I live and I love a sweet sour plum! So second time I did my research.

[@Gkrissy]

I am glad he shared his mistakes for us to learn from. I love how Tuck is fighting him and playing with him. It’s funny because I just planted a Santa Rosa tree but I actually love plums and they should do well in my southern hot /humid climate.

[@b.b.5705]

I have about 14 trees in my yard that I need to get in check. This post has helped me so much. Thank you from Clearwater florida.

[@gracewright7938]

What a great video for someone who is barely starting to learn about fruit trees I inherited when I bought my house. TNX

[@onchh3623]

What a great human being you are. Helping others. May you and Tuck prosper in your bountiful farm, forever.

[@dexterking7662]

This is why you have to look at different garden people and get an idea what they’re really talking about, and so far you have proven you’re the best good job

[@LoraineGrant]

I live in New Jersey and after watching your videos I am inspired by you to start growing fruit trees. I have 2 apple trees, grape vines and today I bought Japanese plum, combo cherry and peach. I hope one day you can visit and let me know what I can do to improve my garden. God blessings always!

[@renaldowilliams3671]

I started watching your channel about a year ago and I feel like we’re good friends even though I’ve never met you lol you’re just a great guy all around and your attitude and knowledge has kept me going strong now I’m running out of room on my patio with tomatoes onions strawberries different pepper varieties and even a couple fruit trees from pit seed 😎 I only grow from seed based on your advice and it’s made a huge difference I’ve been having frequent harvest about every 1-2weeks which provides me and my wife with the best fresh vegetables. Much Love from California 🤘

[@CaroleMcDonnell]

Thank you. I have apple, cherry, plum, and haskap outside in the ground. I also have fig, avocado, pomegranate, in containers. I'm in zone 5, upstate ny. so i take my containers inside in the fall. Thanks for helping us with our plants.

[@ericsmith8129]

Do you actually get fruit off the avocado and pomegranate trees in your zone?

[@CaroleMcDonnell]

@@ericsmith8129 The pomegranate is a dwarf so i take it inside. Everything is on the enclosed porch now, transitioning from outside to the living room. That said, the pomegranate is two years old and tiny little poms are on it. I think i should've pruned it so the fruits would be bigger. Right now, they look like tiny little one-inch plums. The avocado just kinda popped up in two of my sweet potato containers. I threw the seeds in and voila. Will see what happens.

[@ThatBackYardLifeHWGAC]

These videos help so much👋🏽in zone5 as well fellow gardener growing the same trees & trying banana blood orange kumquats this year.24 in containers only my 5yr old pear tree in the ground,can’t wait til spring got 10 trees indoors til may 🥺🤗happy harvesting

[@yourlocalscribe948]

Haskap!? I need that where did you get the seeds for it!?

[@CaroleMcDonnell]

@@yourlocalscribe948 i get plants. Online stores or Amazon. Make sure you get plants that are good matches for each other if you want them to actually bear fruits.

[@jsul2086]

IDK about #4. I hear you, tho I inherited some yummy apple trees for some year, some years ago, and approached it like you at first, leave it natural and it had like thousands of great apples for some years, then 2 years or so the snow load on the long branches broke off big portions, probably lost more than if I pruned ;) and maybe w those amazing years, its because before me it was opened and the deer could easily get in and prune it. So maybe it had a lot of built up energy and I leave the extras on the ground to go back into the trees after the bugs are done with them. Historically it was said 7 years before fruit trees are "really ready" to be picked from. the fence was only for the dogs

[@mytigereyez]

I'm a a major newbie to backyard orchards and I cannot tell you how overwhelming it can seem with all of the books and videos. Your one video here was the BEST free information I've learned!! Now i'm going home after work to make sure the apple tree and peach tree I bought is disease resistant and actually what I planted. hahaha

[@bloussant]

I searched 10 videos for these tips, and i finally got answers I was looking for in this 1 video. Thanks James!

[@KYAg227]

With the coming food shortages you’re saving lives spreading knowledge!

[@Dino55316]

Took a page from your playbook and dropped 10 yards of mulch on the S. side of my house; picking fruit trees right now. Thanks buddy!

[@rf7788]

Thank you for slowing down the video! It made it very helpful to retain and comprehend what you were saying

[@samkitty5894]

Good tips. My biggest frustration is the pests. I don't like using toxic, cancer causing chemicals on my food. So all of my fruit will have issues. I just cut the bad section out and use the rest. It is apparent to me that we have more pests every year, and more diseases. I'm from the old country. We never sprayed our fruit and it was all perfect. But, we didn't grow any of the commercial varieties. Our fruit came from seeds and was very unique and very tough. When man tries to improve on nature, we have problems...every time.

[@carmelitasabugo]

I was watching your other video tapping snot all the food forest food and those apples, you were so excited. I kept waiting for you to bite into one of those apples!!! I have fruit trees that are crazy. Thank you for the videos!! I always enjoy watching!

[@pinksky1467]

So quality over quantity brings in the juiciest harvest. Great advice.

[@northeasthardytropicals541]

This kind of video is so helpful for gardeners of all skill levels. Sharing experience both good and bad is invaluable. Very well done

[@Pamfriend]

Thank you so much for all the info! I really needed this for my apple, plums, sour cherry trees, etc.. Very grateful for all the valuable info. Keep up the good videos, work, and ♥️Tucker!

[@michaelalonzo7209]

Every video should be titled “masterclass to sustainability “ 👍🏽 There’s no better way to learn than to live/work through it !

[@smc802]

Thank you you finally show me how to plant apples trees, and adult kind of fruit trees 🎉🎉🎉🎉😀

[@gracegood3661]

Been watching you for years James... we purchased one hectare here in New Zealand and have started to build our new home. Over last two years planted hundreds of fruit and nuts tree, most raised in our backyard. Just want to say your bloody inspiration and thanks.

[@robjones8112]

I bought all of my trees from Bob Well's nursery online, I highly recommend it

[@sandytmobile4467]

Hello From Oregon, Your enjoying we enjoy just as much fruit as we can so this year we put in twenty grown purple asparagus, ten pink strawberries, had to do a new blueberries and we planted two pink limonaid blue berry , we finally found Rubarr it just hasn't been around. Our Family Garden growers for plants doing well but for Our Food Farmer's aren't growing this year again. It has nothing to do with worker's but no water rights our Govener dumped our lakes took out river dams so the biggest fight of feeding food processing plants have had them close down for good. So learning from you to help bost more for good we thank you.

[@carollampart6505]

As a novice gardener this is my favourite channel, I love watching Tuck especially, I love him. I made nearly all those mistakes James with my fruit trees and its taken 3 to 4 years to get any fruit, ordered a variety ie, plum, pear, apple, desert and cooking, and cherry but all turned out to be apple!! and one not fruited yet?? The information you shared is really useful and easy to understand thank you. I live in the UK in the Midlands which is around zone 8. Particularly useful info regarding thinning fruit and pruning. Thanks again. 😊

[@jessicameyer7247]

I've been watching a few gardening channels lately and gardeners are such genuinely happy people! I'm loving my garden and it is really rewarding. Great channel! Love your enthusiasm and knowledge!🤩🌻🥀

[@CatherineShoresHMN]

Do you watch Becky on Acre Homestead???? She and this channel are my favorites!

[@jessicameyer7247]

@@CatherineShoresHMN I'll check it out! Thanks! 🥰🥀

[@skLuke638]

A major plus for growers is that they experience more "grounding," which is so beneficial to the body, reducing build-up inflammation. Years ago, I read a story about the effects "city community gardening" had on kids. It relieved anxiety, stress, and aggressiveness. They became happier.

[@lorigraham2496]

Love your little terrier garden helper. I have a Cairn terrier. Have to be careful, though. Her specialty is hole digging and " unplanting".

[@cindyburst]

Hello from Georgia USA (home of kaolin mines and peaches out the wazoo). You are so helpful and inspiring!

[@cultured33]

Thank you James, planted a peach and plum tree from Lowes summer 2022....hmmm, I'll do my best to raise it up in the right way.

[@zoeyround3747]

You have so much enthusiasm and energy! I love you experience and knowledge.

[@melanieallen8980]

Im only halfway through watching, & I have learnt so much already! Fabulous, informative video! cheers from Sydney Australia..

[@Thankful1998]

My apple trees are about 30 years old and have been learning pruning over the past 5 years or so. The most frustrating thing is that my 'dwarfs' are so tall! Pays to prune early.

[@TheBullsGarden]

Thank you brother James for all this great information

[@alyssahosbach4783]

Thank you! Your videos rock! We live in northern California with a few fruit trees on our property with the house we bought. Your tips and knowledge will be put to practice! Thank you

[@idealassets]

I'm so glad that you post this info. I got interested & this season so far planted 2 new cherry & 3 plum trees. I need to get good advice. So far so good. My area is filled with master gardeners, but nearly zero fruit tree growers other than a few crabapple & apple. I will add an apple last when I make space for it.

[@douglasperkins6062]

I really enjoy your videos, they have showed where I made my mistakes concerning fruit trees

[@shanebep3135]

I liked it when you put the apple in your shirt. Tuck was looking attractive.

[@joanneshaw5995]

I just love watching your videos, I'm new at gardening and i really enjoy it, So i just want to say thank you,you are my go to when i'm not sure what's what .. And tuck is my fav love the little guy..

[@dfu1685]

Thank you so much for taking the time to put all of this together for us to Learn. Such Appreciation for your labors! Cheers.

[@bonafideslacker2626]

Your enthusiasm is fully putting me in a Gardening State!

[@craigmetcalfe1749]

Hey Team Tuck! I used to think your harvest videos were the greatest but now I enjoy your taste tests the best. If it's good enough for Team Tuck, it's good enough for me. Cheers!

[@brightbeautifuldays]

All your videos are the best. I learn more from you than all other channels I have watched. Thank you!!

[@lindaminor1985]

You are doing a great.job James!!!!!

[@PRDreams]

Very nice list. If I ever rent land back in the mainland, and can grow pears, apples, peaches, etc.; this info will be good to have. I only grow coffee and citruses - commercially - right now. For our consumption I grow tropical trees that I have no idea how to call them in English - jobo, acerola, grocellas, jobillo - plus guava and papaya.

[@kitdubhran2968]

Jobo might be yellow mombin. Acerola looks like “Barbados cherry”. I think grocella/grosella is currants or gooseberries. Jobillo also pulls up the yellow mondin, so jobo and jobillo might be similar fruits or same family. Kind of like plums and apricots or something. This is both for your info and in case anyone else was curious. Because I was curious so I had to look them all up. 😅😂

[@joyceobeys6818]

I want you to see this James. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGm7lX2tn7mHa9E

[@joyceobeys6818]

Maybe go on a long vacation, n keep an eye on the canary Island volcano LaPalma. It looks close to the ocean when I seen drone footage of it. And this guy makes out like before it gets to the water that the Atlanta rises up and gets a huge wave. The house n land isn’t worth your life. A vacation would not be so bad. Maybe put your water on a system, if you haven’t already. 👍🏼

[@PRDreams]

@@kitdubhran2968 first of all thank you! I can confirm: (yellow) spondias mombin = Jobillo acerola = Barbados cherry Grocella = star gooseberry Jobo = spondias dulcis same family of jobillo, but instead of a pit with veins, the pit has spikes... Is like eating delicious torture.😂 Thank you again for directing me towards their names! I have been trying and I guess Google hates me because it just wouldn't show me😭. I had to type it from the English names that you gave me. If I type the Spanish... nada. 🤷

[@donaldboyett7682]

Been there, done that, and have the t-shirt. I started my orchard in 2015 and made all the beginner mistakes. But I have educated myself since then and have become a master gardener through our LSU extension office and now I advise people on fruit trees. Hopefully I can help some avoid the pitfalls that comes with being an uninformed beginner. Good information you have provided.

[@annc2965]

Thank you for the information. I've been trying to figure out how to save my trees. The rot info was very helpful!

[@leahhicks1162]

Sweet James. I can’t wait for spring! I’ve ordered 8 fruit trees after watching your last few videos. Thx for sharing all your knowledge so freely & with such joy!

[@JigmeChhimi]

A good places to get trees that James is talking about

[@jessicawilkins7139]

I started watching when I lived a town across from a mall now we have 5ac and I did exactly you said I bought cheap, trees at Home Depot and they are trash. A year younger tree from the local nursery and they are taller and stronger then my older ones, they have shoots coming up off the grafted root ball and keep coming back. We are lucky to have you a great source of information! Thanks

[@joseolivs7069]

Some good points, still some misinformation. The beauty of growing your own food is that it is a continuous learning process.

[@mariarea4851]

Thanks for sharing your experiences over the years... Huge help for first timers !

[@Ivy-ds9cx]

My 2 year old food garden is based completely on everything I’ve learned from you!! 💕

[@samuelrodrigues-ze1kd]

I also love his system, hug from Brazil ! =)

[@dkd643]

Oh my goodness, I'm addicted to your channel. You have an amazing way of explaining everything. So thankful I found your channel!

[@margaretmojica8190]

I would say, get your trees from a local nursery, not a box store. I bought both my peach trees at a local nursery and I noticed the tag read that the tree needed only 400 chill hours. The nurseryman told me that Bakersfield, California does not get many chill hours and those particular trees would produce fruit while a tree needing 700 chill hours would not. I notice that the tags on the peach trees at the box stores do not tell one how many chill hours the tree needs.

[@thyme4coffee203]

I like the summary at the end. Reminds me of Green Deane!

[@DeirdreJ_AutomationArchitect]

Thanks for all your videos. I’m in NY and love that you’re in my zone too so it’s easy to follow what you teach and apply it to my area.

[@5kidslater1]

My husband grew an etrog (citron) from seed 15 years ago and it has been producing fruit. We’d bring it in at the end of summer before the frost and carry it through the Minnesota winter in the south window. Last year I decided to see what would happen if I left the fruit on all winter and summer and it just stopped producing. Watched some videos and just took the last fruit off a few weeks ago and pruned it to rebalance it. It also had almost no leaves. I’m currently growing it in the corner of a room with east and north windows under a four wand grow light on a stand. Well no leaves have sprouted, but at last count I have 19 blossoms starting to form. The first fertile one opened today but nothing else is open. It will be fun to see what happens next. If it sets too many fruit, I will thin it.

[@SmallSeeds]

This is so helpful. I have been watching your different pruning videos and learning so much. My fruit trees are crazy right now and I’ve been nervous to prune them. I definitely made the mistake of buying some cheap box store trees and those ones are probably going to have to be removed. Thank you for this!!!

[@kimcritchfield5796]

Practice on them if they are producing!!

[@SmallSeeds]

@@kimcritchfield5796 Thanks! That’s a great idea.

[@sylvestergarcia2705]

Thanks for helping us with our plants.

[@fndmystory]

Love the pest management coz I've been leaving apples on the ground for worms 😮🙄😃

[@nmnate]

Yep...disease resistant bare root fruit trees are a MUST. For apples, I'd say rootstock selection can be of great importance too. Any dwarf or most semi-dwarf apple rootstocks are going to need permanent staking to keep the trees from falling over. It's not well advertised by retailers / nurseries. Orange pippin trees has pretty good resources for apple rootstocks and excellent selection.

[@ThatBritishHomestead]

So true! I can’t wait to get pink lady apples!

[@RoyHolder]

Thanks James, I need to thin my peach tree that's just finished blooming and the fruit is forming. Cheers for the information! Give Tuck an ear rub for me! 👍👍👍

[@AnthonyGarcia-se2yd]

Good looking out! I definitely needed this information, a thousand thank yous!

[@alphakarnickel-qh2mw]

all the videos i have watched from you are a really great source of information in a very digestable manner without all the modern influencer attitude. very nice

[@SomeOneHigh]

12:00 , Yah i do in CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT WITH VENTILATION AND THE INSECTICID I USE AFFECTS ALL INSECTS ( AND BEES , SAYS IT ON THE LABEL Category 2 Pro.)

[@spacechimp5141]

I just love your little dog following you around.

[@masterofgarden-charka]

This guy make gardening exciting that why I like watching his video.

[@myrtleshawnsabido5627]

Thank you James! Watching from Philippines👋😄

[@cherriethomas9538]

I am 7 years in my poor trees have not been pruned an now it have a huge overgrowth. An I just finally got trees that are late harvest so I can get fruit instead if the freeze.

[@bvec97]

Love you, love tuck, love gardening. Nothing but love!

[@strectchy6969]

dude you are fast at showin off your stuff good stuff bud

[@Jo-xf4nt]

Hey James, I like you a few years ago learned the hard way about company's not sending what you'd ordered. That's when I started only ordering from company's I'd researched and found reliable. Great tips, I'm saving this video for future reference. Thank you for all you do and I can't get enough of little Tuck! ❤

[@Loonypapa]

With the kids out of the nest, I needed something other than a business to run. I now have three peach trees, a nectarine, a persimmon, two apples, three cherry, four grape vines, six blueberry bushes, nine blackberry, and an array of raised beds for veggies. Looking forward to some grandkids picking fruit, like my grandfather did for me. Thank you James.

[@RDubdo]

Hi James, you have shared some very good tips. Thanks. One thing I do different and have been doing for many years now is to leave all of the fruit that falls on the ground. My reasoning being that it is impossible to get rid of pests and you need the pests to feed their predators. The fallen fruit is also good fertilizer for the tree. I have found over 30 years that this gives me better quality fruit without the extra work. Some years a particular tree will have most of the fruit infested but in another year that same tree will have very few fruit infested and produce a large crop. This is the case especially for apples. I realize that this method is not for the anul however.

[@charleencnossen9930]

I sure did get a lot of value from this video! Thank you!!! I purchased my first 5 bare root tree this year!

[@michellesguidetolife354]

I grew a peach tree from a pit from a store bought peach. It’s about 5 years old and though they were golf ball size, the peaches produced this year were delicious! It actually produced fruit by the second year but they were inedible until this year. I think it just happened to be a good fit for my environment...otherwise it probably wouldn’t have survived. I have an almond tree started from an almond too, but it’s only about 1 foot tall at 2 years old. I’ll update you in 5 or 10 years!

[@mofumy]

Really nice to see how passionate you are about your trees! Great informative tips!

[@c.kainoabugado7935]

I got something out of it!! Ty for sharing valuable information about growing fruit trees 🌳 😊 Love n pets to Tuck!!

[@patcox8745]

Great, informative video. It wasn’t slow, James. I’ve been wary of jumping into fruit trees in my garden. You helped me so much. Thank you and Tuck, too!

[@jamesprigioni]

Thanks Pat, glad you found value in it my friend. I think you should jump in, it's not the easiest thing to grow but they are rewarding when you do get fruit from them

[@tigerbond4064]

I have tried that ,My peachs are fantastic,But nothing on my apricots 4 trees each? Thank you for the reply. west coast.

[@kimcritchfield5796]

Tiger, my 4 year old apricot seems to pop every other year. Last year, about 300. This year TWO! I believe its the timing of my pruning and I may be cutting buds (next years fruit)! So Cal 10a. Bleinhiem400 chill hours needed.

[@tigerbond4064]

@@kimcritchfield5796 Mine are 4 years old in my ground, Every year there are blossoms not much but never go to fruit they just fall off? I prune them every year ,But no fruit They grow like crazy every year? I just dont know. I have peaches And prune them every year also and they produce amazing amounts of peaches. Socal area

[@mariabeaulieu3732]

Killing me with those gorgeous apples! Thanks for the tips!

[@lindaobrien2659]

Thank you, for taking the fear out of pruning, for me. You explained it so clearly. Even I could do it. I happen to have one pear tree full size about 20 feet. The pears don't get very big anymore. It was here when we move in. Over 20 years ago. Someone said, it's not getting enough water, because of the grass growing too close to it's trunk. Our apple tree is a dwarf. We purchased it from Walmart, in a pot. I think I'll prune it per your instructions, and see what happens. It's full of leaves but not much fruit. I love you're little helper he's adorable. I've subscribed, and I love all your videos.

[@naomibush4649]

We learn so much from you and garden is amazing we have a decent garden growing but would love it to be bigger

[@ellie_hanabon]

I'm a novice with a soursop tree, thank you for the video

[@pfurr281]

WOW I would love to have a bite of that beautiful apple,good information will do this this year.

[@robertsabre49]

JP, I've been following you for quite a while now and I'll say that you're very good at what you love,,,,,,, and getting better as time goes on,,,,,,thnx,this was excellent.

[@James-mv9qx]

As someone who has been making those mistakes, thank you! Curious about your comment on bare rooted trees being better, can you elaborate more? Thanks

[@awkwardtexasstranger5660]

Not slow at all-this is information I needed. I have the very problem you mentioned-a Santa Rosa plum in the yard that just doesn't produce, and seems to be struggling. I've been torn about removing it, but I'm going to bite the bullet and try something more suitable for my area.

[@gracecunningham7441]

Perfect and glad you were so thorough - the best!!!

[@vidyapersaud4630]

I love you garden. The fruit trees are amazing 😊