December 23 2009
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Our thanks to author Judy Jantzen for this fine piece of good financial advice.
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Did you know that money can grow on trees? Fruit and nut trees can save you hundreds of dollars off your grocery store bills. They will give you delicious healthy fruit/ nuts to eat. Save you more dollars, by you staying healthy. Not missing work or school and not needing the doctor, due to poor eating habits.
You do not need a farm or huge yard to grow some of your own fruit. If you have a 4 X 4 foot space that gets about a half a days sunshine, then you can grow a self pollinating columnar style fruit tree. If you have a 6 X 6 feet space you can grow a semi dwarf fruit tree. More space can allow you to grow a variety of self pollinating fruit trees for wonderful fresh fruit that will have your mouth watering just thinking about how delicious they are going to taste.
The Winter months are the best time to plant bare root fruit trees. They will pay for themselves the very first time that they produce a crop (about 3 years) and they are easy to grow and maintain.
A self pollinating fruit tree (means only one tree is required – it pollinates itself) runs from about $15.00 – $30.00from internet nurseries. Stark Bros. is my favorite. A fruit/nut tree would make a great gift for a love one, especially for children.Help to plant it and it will give beautiful flowers and fruit/ nuts for many years to come.
There are several types of nuts that do very well in Cochise County, SE. Arizona – zone 8, where we live. Pistachios, pecans and walnut orchards are very successful.
You need to choose the ones that will do best in your area. Do a search for your states agricultural extension service for information on what will grow best, where you live. We only have room for our fruit trees, Good nuts already cost more than a lot of meat. They are a very healthy heart smart food and should be a part of your daily food intake. Planting nut trees could be a great future income producer, making them a good investment for your future.
There is no hope of cheaper food prices in the future and certainly not a chance of cheaper medical. It is up to us to grow what we can and eat as healthy as we can afford.
We grow successfully, 15 fruit trees, 4 types of berries and 3 types of grapes on a 65 X 110 feet lot with a home in the center of it. We grow without the use of pesticides, so we know what we are eating is safe. We pick, juice, jam and freeze our fruits and share with our neighbors and friends. We still have room for lots of flowers, herbs and other good things.
A freezer, juicer and air conditioner make easy work of it. The yard work is equal to walking for exercise and gives you your vitamin D as well as a strong healthy body. Gardening uses both sides of your brain as well as your body and it is a great experience, especially for children.
Fresh fruit to share with friends and neighbors in the growing season and a jar of jam or syrup makes a great gift for a host or the holidays. A great added benefit is that we have our trees planted on the East and West sides of our home and they give us shade and lower our air conditioner cost. They are also beautiful in the Spring with their blossoms and in Fall with their crimson and golden leaves. The leaves are a good Winter mulch and improve the soil.
I hope you will consider planting some money trees. You will be helping yourself and the earth. You do not have to be a master gardener to do this.
There are lots of books in the library gardening section to guide you, information on the internet and the Agricultural Extension Service. But, basically you dig and prepare a good hole, fertilize, water, especially the tops in our strong dry winds and wait for the magic to happen. Each well cared for tree also increases the value of your property.