Shade-Tolerant Edible Fruit Trees

Fruit Trees for Dense Shade

• Heavily wooded areas are some of the most difficult places to grow fruit trees because of the lack of light. Find out the types of native fruit trees that grow in your area. There is a chance some of them have adapted over time to tolerate dense shade. Pawpaw trees do very well in dense shade. As they grow, they reach for the light, which makes harvesting the edible fruit difficult without a fruit picker. Other dense shade-tolerant edible fruit trees include hackberry and wild black cherry.

Fruit Trees for Intermittent Shade

• Intermittent shade occurs when a large tree or structure blocks most of the sunlight during the day. Study the areas that receive this type of shade to look for large patches of sunlight. These patches are the ideal place to plant fruit trees. Choke cherry, mulberry and plum are edible fruit trees that thrive under these conditions.

Fruit Trees for Light Shade

• Juneberry, persimmon and mayhaw are edible fruit trees that thrive and produce fruit in light shade. Light shade means the area receives full sun for six hours or less per day. Most fruits, such as apples, pears and peaches, thrive in sites that receive five to six hours of sun per day. The best site is one that receives morning or late afternoon sun. Fruit trees appreciate shade during the hottest part of the day.

Other Considerations

• Fruit trees in a shady area need adequate water to thrive and produce edible fruit. Avoid planting too close to existing trees so there is not as much competition for nutrients and water. Use soaker hoses to water newly planted fruit trees, especially those growing in woodland conditions. When deciding how far apart to plant your new fruit trees, think about the mature size of the ones you choose and how you intend to harvest them once they ripen.