This in depth article about how and why to plant fruit trees in the fall on your homestead is truly inspiring. You still have time this year. Peach, cherry and apple lovers are in luck….

Mother Earth News shares how to plant fruit trees in the fall to create a food source on your homestead. Container-grown trees can be planted at any time during the period September to early May.

There are definitely advantages to fall planting. The main benefit is allowing the tree to settle into its new location whilst the soil is still warm, and the roots can still grow a bit. This gives the tree a head-start in the spring. In areas where average winter minimum temperatures hover around freezing or above, there is no reason not to plant in the fall.

In other words, since bare-root fruit trees cannot be transplanted until mid/late November, and since they have to be dormant when transplanted, the benefits of fall planting are less than they are for pot-grown plants transplanted in early fall.

However the timing of fall planting is crucial. The trees must be dormant before transplanting, so there is a small window, around the end of November, when newly-dormant fruit trees can be shipped for planting in warmer zones.

A small investment in the purchase of the variety of fruit trees once established can give a yearly free harvest. You can’t get any sweeter or fresher than walking into your yard and reaching up to pick a piece of fruit from your own tree. Canning, dehydrating and freezing fruit for a year round food source can help reduce your monthly food budget.

Click here to read the article about How & Why To Plant Fruit Trees in the Fall :

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/planting-fruit-trees-zmaz80sozraw.aspx