cheap Fruit trees question: where to order

Where can I order fruit trees from cheaply? Even if they are smaller for $10 or so
Thank you in advance.

Howdy Dan welcome to permies!
There are all sorts of seed catalogs that also sell small trees. Here is a web search with a few.

http://www.bing.com/search?q=fruit+tree+catalog+companies&form=MSNH14&pq=fruit+tree+catalog&sc=8-18&sp=3&qs=AS&sk=AS2&adlt=strict

Depending on where you live ,and sometimes how much land you are planting,You can get trees from your local soil conservation district office.

Dan, if you're on a budget, go hunt up a fig tree and take a cutting. Sometimes people will even pay you to prune and clean up their tree for them! Fig cuttings are easiest to root when dormant, if it has leafed out (like now), it may help to dip it in a rooting compound and then you have to make sure to keep it well watered so it doesn't dry out.

You can also try taking cuttings of cherry, plum, citrus and mulberry, but it would be better to wait until the end of summer, because semi-hardwood cuttings are recommended for these and this time of year, a lot of your cutting will still be soft and green.

A few fruits are worth propagating from seed, but mostly one would plant seed and then use the seedlings as grafting rootstock. Grafting and budding is a bit persnickety but is a worthwhile skill to learn if you want to propagate a lot of fruit trees on a tight budget. Scionwood is cheap to buy, easy to ask for, and easy to pilfer if it comes down to it.

You will not get named cultivars for less than $10, however most nurseries sell seedlings for around $2. You can plan that and for alot of fruit trees that is more than enough (pear, juneberry, pawpaw) but for other no so much (apple) for those you can just add sugar to make juice/wine or you can graft them your self for another $2.

http://www.burntridgenursery.com/fruitingPlants/index_product.asp?dept=35&parent=28

Cherrys , some figs and Quince also throw off suckers you can get these for free if you ask nicely or steal some .

David

Dan -
Don't know where you live but you may want to consider some size vs quantity. If you get bare root 5' -6' trees in the fall, the prices aren't crazy and you'll be enjoying fruit years & years earlier (except figs, which I'd totally find some suckers and grow that way). Keep in mind that deer with rut on saplings and even eat tree & all down to the ground. We put in our orchard 3 years ago, using 4'-5', 1/2" caliper bareroot. we are already getting more fruit that we use personally and quickly sell the extra. Regardless of which way you go, make sure you buy from growers in your area - you'll waste years in growth if the trees have to fight to acclimate to a different climate.

@ Dan,

I have bought fruit trees (saplings) from my local grocery store (spring) and local home improvement / garden centers at 9.99 - 13.99. I had very bad results with the catalogs stock all dying. Craigslist farm and garden section often has saplings and seedlings from free to 15. I found a farm that sells pawpaws for $3 each in bulk quantities. Each state forestry department sells native seedlings in the spring at varied prices with most between $2-5 each. I ask people locally for cuttings in the fall to try to root and ask for seeds (or seed swap) as opportunities arise. I purchased land that is part forest 2 years ago; I have over 120 seedlings and saplings added to what was here; I am planning for 1000's.

@ David

I would love to get some quince suckers or seeds! If you have quince growing and can spare the seeds, please let me know.

@ everyone

This fall I will have a supply of Autumn berry (aka June berry, buffalo berry, service berry) seeds to trade for other fruit seeds, let me know if you are interested.

@ S Bengi

I disagree. I actually have found them for less; just not at the big name or high end nurseries. Some of which are already producing after just a year. However, to get them at that price, you need to be on the lookout and be prepared to buy anytime you stumble on them.

Cortland
As I live in France its not really practical to send a cutting . As for seeds we will see in the autumn I am not sure if they grow true from seed though
Have you thought of advertising locally .

David

Hi David,
LOL...France is a bit of a distance! I have been advertising out here; however, people are pretty tight fisted around here. Every time I offer my seeds, plants, materials etc. for free lots of response; but, even those individuals do not reciprocate. I find it very odd. I have always been generous with plants and everything else; do not understand others who are not. I will keep trying! Thank You!

Hi Dan,
For quality trees at less than $10 per tree, I have two nurseries I have bought from many times and can reccomend highly.
You need to buy a 'wholesale' quantity, which is somewhat negotiable and can be comprised of many different varieties. Usually 15 trees total is sufficient.
The trees are bare root, usually 5/8 or 3/4 inch caliper, and consistently grow well and produce fruit within a few year. Definitely the way to go, much better than cuttings or seeds, which will take much longer to get going.

C+O Nursery and VanWell Nursery, both in WA state. They are literally down the road from one another and are equally good. All the professional orchardists around here use them as well.
It is a little late in the year now for planting, and their inventories are likely pretty small. I like to plant trees around the average last frost date in the spring, FWIW. But you could still plant now if you dont have excessively hot summers and manage the water carefully. They have apples, pears, peaches, plums, apricots, nectarines. Lots of good varietals.

Good luck, establishing an orchard is not as easy as it seems. Managing weed pressure, soil moisture, animal pests, and soil fertility are tricky at first. Persevere, have a good plan up front, and you will be delighted!

Cortland Satsuma wrote:@ David

I would love to get some quince suckers or seeds! If you have quince growing and can spare the seeds, please let me know.

@ everyone

This fall I will have a supply of Autumn berry (aka June berry, buffalo berry, service berry) seeds to trade for other fruit seeds, let me know if you are interested.

That sounds like a great swap. Look me up in the Fall and let's make that happen.
Fraid I don't know what variety my quince tree is, but it produced healthy-looking, grapefruit-sized fruits last October.

Old topic, but I thought I might chime in here to help out anyone looking for similar fruit trees in Cali. There are a bunch of places out here, mainly due to the great weather. Most of them require pretty high volume orders to get wholesale pricing. Happy to look them up for you if you want bulk material. For smaller orders, I just heard about an outfit called Bidscape. My neighbor used them to supply him with a grove of orange and avocado trees. Here's the info from their brochure:

Bidscape - We Have Your Plants
Serving SoCal from Los Angeles to San Diego
www.bidscape.com
626-318-0749

Anyone have a good source for cheap fruit trees? I want to plant 1000 trees at $5-$8 each. Not $25-$35 each. I dont care about how small they are, just trying to stick to budget. Thank you!

Tractor supply generally has bare root fruit trees this time of year. Gotta do some homework though. Some of the types may not be suitable for your location. I can't remember the price. Maybe $12.99?

This year's plantings came from womack nursery. You may look them up. I was able to pick up, but they ship. They good folks.

wayne fajkus wrote:Tractor supply generally has bare root fruit trees this time of year. Gotta do some homework though. Some of the types may not be suitable for your location. I can't remember the price. Maybe $12.99?

This year's plantings came from womack nursery. You may look them up. I was able to pick up, but they ship. They good folks.

Thanks, Wayne. I will check both out.

charlie Robinson wrote:Anyone have a good source for cheap fruit trees? I want to plant 1000 trees at $5-$8 each. Not $25-$35 each. I dont care about how small they are, just trying to stick to budget. Thank you!

That's a big order you are planning. Check out VanWell Nursery.
http://vanwell.net/sales/commercial-us-price-list

The cheapest way I know how to get trees, at least here in WI, is to order them through DNR.  In large quantities, small trees are 40-80 cents each.  They don't have apple trees here, but do have cherry, plum, and lots of other hardwood and conifers, as well as bushes and nut trees.