BENEFICIAL PLANTS FOR FRUIT TREES
Creating a garden around your fruit trees that form a type of beneficial community is usually known as polyculture or a tree guild! Companion planting is also related to this style of gardening and garden design, it is the intention to use the strengths and functions of each plant to create resilience and environmental health in your gardens.
Creating a fruit tree guild
There is a large selection of plants to choose from when starting to create a fruit tree guild. Additionally from the plant selection, you want to be thinking more about the functions that these plants provide to the garden! Especially the fruit tree selection itself, as it will be the canopy layer of the guild, and will provide wildlife shelter, food, and more depending on the variety! Fruit trees can be known for being a little more sensitive than the rest, being susceptible to early or late frosts, and easily targeted for pests and diseases if not kept healthy.
So how do we plant our gardens to provide that needed support for fruit trees? As mentioned before it is all about stacking functions within the plant community.
Functions needed in a tree guild
After the fruit tree has been planted, it is time to fill in the rest, using these categories as a guide.
Ground covers/Grass-suppressing Bulbs- Grasses are surface feeders and will take nutrients, compared to ground covers which fertilize the ground, keep out unwanted plants, and keep the ground moist & cool.
Insect & Bird Attracting Plants- Blossoms of flowering plants will lure pollinators for boosting fruit set, and attract predatory wasps that feast on pestiferous larvae such as borers and codling moths.
Dynamic Nutrient Accumulators- These are plants that mine nutrients from the soil through their roots. These plants can be used as a fertilizer or as part of a fertilizer mix, for other plants that may be deficient in those particular nutrients.
Nectary Plants- Plants that provide nectar to beneficial insects or hummingbirds through various seasons, to attract them into the garden and fuel the full circle system!
Nitrogen Fixers- Adding nitrogen fixers to the garden keeps nutrient cycling within the plant community. Nitrogen fixers are special plants that take all the nitrogen that is available in the air around us and bring it down into the soil, how amazing! This is a way easier solution than lugging bags of nitrogen into our gardens
Soil Fumigants & Pest Repellants- Certain plants exude chemical substances that repel pests. This can help to keep away fungus, and other disturbances to the fruit trees' health and the other plant around. They will have strong aromatics, and are usually plants that humans like to use in cooking or for teas!
So now that we have gone over the functions needed to create a healthy environment to support your fruit trees, let us go over some examples of plants you can use in the Calgary area that will work to fulfill these needs.
Examples of plants for each function above;
Ground covers/Grass-suppressing Bulbs- Chives (alliums), Groundnut, Thyme, Daffodils, Vinca, Daylily & Wild Strawberry.
Insect & Bird Attracting Plants- Mints, Aster, Black-Eyed Susan, Lemon balm, Clover, Rose, Fennel & Liatris
Dynamic Nutrient Accumulators- Comfrey, Stinging Nettle, Yarrow, Chicory, Clover, Dandelion & Plantain
Nectary Plants- Echinacea, Currants, Wild Bergamont, Golden Rod, Fire Weed, & Yucca
Nitrogen Fixers- Clovers, Alfalfa, Vetch, Northern Bayberry, Lupines, Beans & Peas
Soil Fumigants & Pest Repellants- Nasturtiums, Marigolds, Anise-Hyssop, Tansy, Horseradish, Mints, Alliums & Garlic
Start planning your fruit tree polyculture today!
This style of gardening takes a lot of observation of the surrounding environment and elements (sun, wind, earth, water) to tell what is going to work best for your fruit tree! But keeping these 6 functions you want to look for will help you design which plants you will put together. This way you will learn more about the connections necessary to build a thriving plant community. Surround the central food-producing tree with a diverse plant community you are on your way to creating an ecological garden, which is working with nature!
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