Synopses & Reviews
Smaller Is Better
Imagine a peach tree that's the same height as you. And an apple tree that doesn't require a ladder for reaching the top-most fruit. Following Ann Ralph's timed pruning plan and simple maintenance guidelines, you can keep ordinary fruit trees small and manageable. Your little trees need less garden space, are easier to care for, and offer just the right amount of fruit for most households.
Review
"Beautiful and essential. Ann Ralph is your good-natured guide to the sometimes intimidating task of planting bare root fruit trees, thinning fruit, and that nail-biter of them all: pruning." Novella Carpenter, author of Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer
Review
“This backyard fruit tree owner's manual should come with every fruit tree, or, better yet, get it while you are still deciding what trees to plant.” Pam Pierce, author of Golden Gate Gardening and Wildly Successful Plants: Northern California
Review
“Ann Ralph argues her case for pruning with such deep knowledge, and wit, and obvious affection for fruit trees, that you cannot help but be converted. A delightful and useful book!” Mike Madison, author of Blithe Tomato
Synopsis
Grow your own apples, plums, cherries, and peaches in even the smallest backyard! Expert pruner Ann Ralph reveals a simple yet revolutionary secret that keeps an ordinary fruit tree much smaller than normal. These great little trees take up less space, require less care, offer easy harvest, and make a fruitful addition to any home landscape.
Synopsis
Grow your own apples, figs, plums, cherries, pears, apricots, and peaches in even the smallest backyard Ann Ralph shows you how to cultivate small yet abundant fruit trees using a variety of specialized pruning techniques. With dozens of simple and effective strategies for keeping an ordinary fruit tree from growing too large, you ll keep your gardening duties manageable while at the same time reaping a bountiful harvest. These little fruit trees are easy to maintain and make a lovely addition to any home landscape.
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About the Author
Ann Ralph is a fruit tree specialist with twenty years of nursery experience. She teaches pruning classes in the San Francisco Bay Area and lives in the Sierra foothills near Jackson, California.
Table of Contents
Introducing the Little Fruit Tree
Chapter 1 - Small Is Beautiful
Chapter 2 - The Short Fruit Tree Method
Chapter 3 - The Elementary Principles of Pruning
Chapter 4 - Choosing Varieties
Chapter 5 - The Fruit Tree Comes Home
Chapter 6 - The Conversation Begins: The Hardest Pruning Cut You'll Ever Have To Make
Chapter 7 - The Conversation Continues
Chapter 8 - How Much Water Does a Fruit Tree Need?
Chapter 9 - Working with Mother Nature
Chapter 10 - Ripe Fruit
Chapter 11 - Entering the Zone of Equilibrium
Appendix