What Fruit Trees Like Lots of Water?

Being able to pick fruit right out of your own backyard is a luxury, one worth pursuing. Perhaps, however, you want to mix your fruit trees with lilies or ferns or many of the other garden plants that need a considerable amount of water, or perhaps you live in an area where the rainfall is higher than average and you need trees that will tolerate these conditions. Lots of water doesn't mean, though, that the soil drains poorly or puddles remain after a few hours. Aerated fresh water is easier for tree roots to tolerate than stagnant water.

Pears

One of the best fruit trees for moist soil is the pear since it will tolerate even heavy, somewhat soggy soil. You'll need two varieties for cross-pollination, either two trees or one tree with two or more varieties grafted onto the rootstock, the variety that provides the roots and lowest part of the trunk.

Plums and Prunes

Plums and prunes (similar but with a higher sugar content to the fruit) are easy to grow, with few pests and diseases compared to other fruit trees. Some have the advantage of being self-fertile, though most will bear more heavily if pollinated by another variety. They are naturally small trees, up to 15 feet, often densely branched, and easily pruned.

Apples, Peaches and Cherries

While these fruit trees are not considered suitable for wet soil, they will do well under ordinary garden watering if the soil drains very well. If you have any doubts about your drainage, but want to plant one of these, add plenty of organic matter to the soil and plant your tree on a small mound or in a raised bed.

Unusual Fruit

Persimmons are attractive shade trees, 30 to 50 feet high depending on the species, and the fruit is often used in cooking.

Juneberry, Mayhaw and Medlar are not commonly grown but would do well in very moist conditions.