Fruit & Berry Trees
Fruit and berry trees are commonly found around the world in temperate and tropical climates. Because many fruit and berry trees tend to take up relatively little space, they are a good option for people who want or need to maintain just a small garden. There are many, many varieties of fruit and berry trees, so narrowing down which you want and which will work best for your climate zone are the first steps in determining what to plant. Does this Spark an idea?
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Apple Trees
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The apple originated in western Asia, and there are now over 7,500 different varieties of apple that can be found in just about every corner of the world. During a good harvest year, an apple tree that is allowed to mature and grow can produce anywhere from 90 to over 400 pounds of apples. These can be used in a variety of homemade products, from pies to ciders. China, the United States and Iran are the three largest producers of apples, though they are harvested everywhere from India to England.
Cherry Trees
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While there are more than a dozen types of cherries, there are only two types of cherry trees: those that produce sweet cherries and those that produce sour cherries. Cherry trees fall into the genus of "Prunus," which include a number of other fruit trees that produce stone fruit, including plums, apricots and peaches. In addition to growing cherry trees for fruit, many gardeners grow members of the Prunus genus solely to admire their abundant flowers.
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Banana Trees
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Banana trees are native to southeast Asia and today are cultivated and cared for in over one hundred countries. Banana trees grow best in tropical climates. In addition to providing people with both "sweet bananas" and starchier, firmer "cooking bananas," often referred to as plantains, banana trees are also used to make banana wine. In fact, almost all of Rwanda's banana crop is used for banana wine. Of the nations that breed banana trees, India, the Philippines and China are the three most productive nations, according the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
Olive Trees
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Olive trees, which have been grown across the Mediterranean region for thousands of years, are incredibly resistant to fire, drought and inclement weather, meaning that they can live for an especially long time. For instance, one "Olea europea" species of olive tree in Montenegro is over 2,000 years old and is still producing edible olives.
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References
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