EARTH PEOPLE LANDCARE · WINTER 2027
New to Bare-Root Fruit Trees?
Your straightforward guide to choosing varieties, pairing pollinators, and planting more fruit in less space across South Orange County.
Explore Trees by Fruit Type
Choose a fruit category below, then open its list to see individual varieties. Every variety name links directly to its product page, where you can review available details and add it to your cart.
Apple Trees (15 varieties)
Apricot Trees (1 varieties)
Aprium Trees (2 varieties)
Cherry Trees (5 varieties)
Mulberry Trees (3 varieties)
Nectaplum Trees (1 varieties)
Nectarine Trees (4 varieties)
Peach Trees (9 varieties)
Pear Trees (5 varieties)
Persimmon Trees (9 varieties)
Pluerry Trees (2 varieties)
Plum Trees (5 varieties)
Pluot Trees (5 varieties)
Choose by Pollination Needs
One of the most important questions is whether one tree is enough.
1. Self-fruitful — one tree can make fruit
These varieties generally can set fruit using their own pollen. Good starting points for limited space include Anna Apple, Santa Rosa Plum and Eva’s Pride Peach. Another compatible variety may still improve crops in some conditions.
2. Partner recommended — improve fruit set
Some partially self-fruitful trees benefit from additional compatible pollen. For example, consider Honey Jar Jujube alongside another flowering jujube variety. Check flower overlap rather than assuming any two trees will work.
3. Partner required — plan a compatible pair
Certain cherries, plums, pluots and pluerries need cross-pollination. Popular examples include Minnie Royal with Royal Lee cherries, or Emerald Drop with Flavor Grenade where bloom overlaps. Confirm compatibility for your site before ordering.
These are examples, not an exhaustive compatibility chart. The correct pairing depends on cultivar identification and overlapping flowering windows.
Winter Chill, Sunlight & Space
Chill hours estimate the cool winter conditions a deciduous fruit variety needs for normal bloom. Coastal Laguna Beach and Dana Point often differ from cooler inland valleys. Favor cultivars suited to your location instead of choosing by flavor alone. Chill figures are estimates, not promises of harvest.
Also consider: full-sun exposure, soil drainage, irrigation access, wind, rootstock vigor, and how tall you want to maintain the tree. Learn what rootstock means below.
Three-in-One & Four-in-One-Hole Planting
Several trees, one compact orchard footprint. In high-density backyard orcharding, three or four separate young fruit trees are planted close together and pruned to function as one managed canopy. This is not a single tree grafted with several varieties, and it is not a set-and-forget planting.
3-in-1
Tree 1Tree 2Tree 3
Three complementary varieties in a triangular arrangement. Great for exploring different harvest windows while keeping three individual trunks.
4-in-1
Tree 1Tree 2
Tree 3Tree 4
Four varieties arranged in a compact square-like group. More selection and potential pollination partners, with more pruning and light-management responsibility.
How the technique works
- Choose compatible trees. Aim for similar vigor and preferably matching or comparable rootstocks; choose varieties with useful pollination and successive harvest seasons.
- Plant close, not touching. Nursery high-density methods commonly place individual trunks about 18–24 inches apart, arranged as a triangle (three) or square (four), with roots spread in a well-prepared area.
- Train outward. Encourage branches away from the center to admit sunlight and airflow. Keep graft unions appropriately above the finished soil level.
- Prune regularly. Summer pruning and early structural training keep vigorous varieties from overwhelming weaker neighbors. Maintain adequate air circulation, irrigation and access.
- Expect tradeoffs. The goal is more varieties and a spread-out harvest from limited space—not four full-size crops in the footprint of one mature tree.
Best suited for: gardeners who want variety and will maintain the canopy every year. Less suitable for: neglected landscapes, areas with poor drainage, or combinations with highly mismatched vigor.
Read Dave Wilson Nursery's multi-planting guide and its planting diagrams for established backyard orchard practices.
Select trees for a multi-tree orchard →
Earth People can assess spacing, cultivar and rootstock compatibility, irrigation and site access. Specialty multi-tree installation is quoted separately.
What Is a Rootstock?
Most named fruit-tree varieties grow on a separately selected root system called the rootstock. It can influence mature vigor, anchorage, soil adaptation and specific disease resistance. A dwarfing rootstock does not eliminate the need for pruning or guarantee a particular finished height.
What Arrives & What Happens First?
A bare-root tree is dormant and is usually supplied without a pot, soil or leaves. Protect the roots from drying and plant promptly. The first growing season focuses on establishment, soil-moisture management, appropriate training and pest monitoring. Substantial fruit harvests may take several seasons.
How Reservations & Delivery Work
- Select varieties and quantities in the bare-root shop.
- Earth People verifies supplier availability, rootstock, condition, final price and delivery eligibility.
- Confirmed trees and applicable delivery are prepaid only after you approve the invoice. Check the checkout payment step carefully; not every online cart automatically functions as a nonpayment reservation.
- Professional planting, including multi-tree arrangements, is quoted separately and paid on completion.
Shared-route delivery starts at $99 and is free for tree-only subtotals greater than $299 where eligible. No nursery pickup.
Ready to Start Your Orchard?
Choose your fruit varieties, compare the rootstocks and make your wish list.