In this Episode Tom Spellman shares more than five decades of experience growing, propagating, and managing fruit trees, with a focus on what he calls urban fruit tree culture. He explains why backyard growers should prioritize varieties they enjoy, choose trees and rootstocks suited to their climate, manage tree size, and use successive ripening to extend harvests. Tom also discusses protecting fruit trees from heat, sunburn, wind, and sudden weather events through whitewashing, shade, pre-irrigation, and mulching. Throughout the conversation, he emphasizes a simple goal for backyard growers: get a little bit of fruit all the time rather than an overwhelming amount all at once.

Our Guest: Tom Spellman has been involved in the nursery business since 1973. At that time, he was a freshman in high school and rode his skateboard to work. Since then he has worked for several different nurseries including La Verne Nursery where he was general manager for 20 years. And Dave Wilson Nursery where he was the southwestern sales Manager for over 20 years. Since retiring he is an Urban Fruit Tree and orchard consultant. Most of all he is the person that knows more about fruit trees than anyone else I know!

Key Topics & Entities

• Urban fruit tree culture
• Fruit tree variety selection
• Rootstocks and climate adaptability
• Tree size management
• Successive ripening
• Bare root fruit trees
• Desert fruit tree growing
• Sunburn and sunscald protection
• Wind stress and windbreaks
• Pre-irrigation before extreme heat
• Mulching and soil temperature
• Companion planting
• Citrus in desert climates
• Container-grown citrus

Key Questions Answered

What is urban fruit tree culture?

Urban fruit tree culture is growing fruit trees under limited backyard conditions, where space is restricted and the goal is to make the most productive use of that space. Tom recommends growing varieties you actually like and will use while considering climate, geography, and soil type.

Why is tree size management so important for backyard growers?

Backyard growers generally don't need hundreds of pounds of one type of fruit at once. Keeping trees compact makes pruning, thinning, harvesting, and other maintenance easier while allowing multiple varieties to be grown in the same space.

How can successive ripening extend a backyard harvest?

By planting varieties that ripen at different times, gardeners can harvest the same type of fruit over a much longer period. Instead of getting one large crop for two weeks, several varieties can provide fruit for a month and a half or longer.

How should gardeners choose a fruit tree rootstock?

The rootstock needs to be adapted to the gardener's climate and soil as well as the variety itself. Tom explains that desert growers need rootstocks capable of handling heat, sandy soil, low-desert conditions, and alkalinity.

Why are bare root trees pruned before planting?

When bare root trees are dug, their roots are pruned. The top should be pruned back to balance the reduced root system so the tree can establish new growth successfully. Tom's experiments show that heavily pruned bare root trees can develop significantly more vigor and new scaffold growth than unpruned trees.

How can fruit trees be protected from extreme desert heat?

Tom recommends protecting exposed bark from sunburn with a breathable whitewash, using limited temporary shade during a tree's first summer, and thoroughly pre-irrigating before a predicted extreme heat event.

How does mulch help fruit trees in hot climates?

A four- to six-inch layer of mulch can keep soil temperatures significantly cooler, improve water retention, increase biological activity