6 Places You Should Never Plant Fruit Trees, According to Gardening Experts

Whether you're hoping to harvest apples, peaches, plums, or lemons, the place where you plant a fruit tree is very important for a successful harvest. Each tree has its own specific needs, but a space with sufficient sunlight and proper soil is an essential starting point for any garden.

Since growing a fruit tree takes a lot of time and effort, you want to make sure you're planting it in a spot that will set it up for success. Here, we spoke to experts about the locations where you should avoid growing fruit trees. Steering clear of these spaces will give you the best chance for a delicious, abundant harvest.

In Tight Spaces

Choose a place for your fruit tree that’s big enough to accommodate its full height and width, says Damon Abdi, assistant professor of landscape horticulture at LSU AgCenter.

It's also important to understand how wide the roots and canopy will spread so you can bypass future issues. “Providing plenty of space can limit potential for roots to reach building foundations and utilities, above and below ground,” he says. “Ample space around the tree can improve airflow, reduce disease issues, and make harvesting easier.”

If you’re determined to grow fruit in a small space, or even in a container indoors, then make sure you choose a dwarf variety suited to your planting area. And if you want fruit from a tree that requires cross-pollination, make sure you have enough room for a pair of trees (or more).

In Waterlogged Soil

Fruit trees thrive in well-drained areas, so avoid planting them in soggy soil and low-lying land.

“Super soppy [spots] are a bad place to put a fruit tree," says Graham Savio, the Cornell Cooperative Extension's agriculture and horticulture issue leader. "Like wetlands, the edge of a marsh, a ditch, anywhere with a perched water table, or anywhere where there's water close to the surface for a chunk of the year."

If this is the type of landscape you have to work with, then plant the tree on a slightly mounded spot so that it sits higher than the water table. 

Opting for a drier part of your yard allows you to control how much water your tree receives, so you can closely monitor potential oversaturation. “It's better to select locations with good soil drainage, as this allows water management to be your choice through irrigation—and not Mother Nature’s via rainfall,” adds Abdi. 

In The Wrong Exposure

Consider your tree’s light needs when choosing the best spot. “Most fruit trees thrive in full sun, but some varieties can tolerate (or even appreciate) some shade,” says Abdi.

If you’re going for partial shade, you’ll need to take into account the direction of the sun throughout the day.

“For us in the northern hemisphere, the sun provides direct light to the south side of the house while the north side is shaded," he adds. "The east side of the house receives morning light (when it's cooler out) and afternoon shade, whereas the west side receives warm afternoon sun and remains shady in the morning."

Choosing a northern, southern, eastern, or western exposure can also determine how well your trees withstand a spring frost. Trees with a southern or western exposure will produce buds a little bit earlier in the spring than those with a northern or eastern location, which means an early spring frost is more likely to kill the buds.

“It’s a question of days, not weeks, but a tree on a south—and to some extent west—slope is going to catch more heat from the sun, so the buds are going to develop faster, and it’s going to be further along,” says Savio. “Your frost susceptibility increases the further along your bud development is. It’s really just small differences that add up—not for the survival of your tree, just the survival of your harvest.”

In Nutrient-Deficient Dirt

A pre-planting soil test will help you determine whether the nutrients and pH of your soil are right for your chosen fruit tree. Most trees prefer a pH around 6, says Savio, with the specifics ranging from 5.8 to 6.7 depending on variety.

"Acidity is definitely manageable,” he says, as you can amend the soil to a friendlier pH with natural treatments. “Check the nutrient status and the soil health status before your plant, and if it’s really low on nitrogen, organic matter, phosphorus, or any other nutrients, then modify it and add what it needs."

In Areas Accessible to Pests (and People)

If you want to harvest fruit from your tree, then you'll need to plant it in a spot you can reach, says Savio. Typically, this isn't on a steep slope or in a hard-to-access area. However, planting it too close to a sidewalk or pedestrian path—no matter how flat the plot is—means you may end up cleaning smashed fruit—or losing part of your harvest to hungry passersby.

“Fruit trees near sidewalks can create a range of issues," says Abdi. "Roots may cause damage to the sidewalk or vice versa, fallen fruit can be messy—and a nuisance to pedestrians and bikers—and unauthorized harvesting can take the fun part away before fruit ripens."

You also want to survey your spot for signs of deer, who are as likely as pedestrians to prevent you from enjoying the fruits of your labor.

"The key is to protect the growing tip of the tree so that it grows up beyond 5 feet tall and can start branching out from there," says Savio. "The best approach I’ve seen is to put up a small cylinder of chicken wire or mesh fence 12 to 24 inches in diameter on a T-post so that it surrounds the newly-planted tree."

The fence should be at least 3 feet tall, he adds, with the top being about 5 feet off the ground. If you live in an area with a lot of deer, then the lower branches may end up being nibbled on anyway, but as long as there's some good growth higher up, you'll still see fruit production, and the tree will be fine.

In the Wrong Zone

While some fruit tree requirements can be accommodated so that the tree can survive outside its ideal growing zone, planting one that's not the right fit for your climate means you're unlikely to see a hearty yield.

"You need cold days, and then you also need enough warm growing degree days for your fruit to actually ripen," says Savio. "Pick a species that's appropriate to your zone, and pick a variety that's appropriate to the growing degree days that are available in your particular location."