It is the joy of every farmer to harvest fruits all year round. However, to make this possible, you need to choose the right varieties, extend the growing season, understand the climate, maintain the soil, and plant at different times of the year. Here are several tips that can make you achieve this and maintain a steady cash flow throughout the year.

Understand your climate

As a gardener, you understand how important the climate is when it comes to fruit farming. You need to study the climatic conditions in your area and understand what to expect at different times of the year. Besides, different fruit varieties prefer specific conditions such as temperatures, and growing them outside them can affect their performance and productivity. For instance, some trees prefer warm temperatures, chilling requirements, or cold temperatures. Grapes, for example, require temperature variations to increase acidity and enhance the tannin and flavor profiles. If you live in drier areas, you need to plan well on how you will irrigate your trees after the rains. Keep them well-watered and fertilized to keep them healthy and more productive. Mulch your trees to reduce heat stress and minimize water loss through evaporation, especially during hot periods.

Plant different varieties throughout the year

To maintain a year-round harvest, you also need to choose fruit varieties for both the cold and warm seasons. Most fruits such as melons, plums, strawberries, and apricots can be grown during the hot season. During the cold season, you can target harvesting fruits like guavas, passion fruits, avocado, and lemons. In some fruits, flowering and fruiting will be relatively lower during the cold season. You should plant varieties that are most suited to your area.

Maintaining your soil

The soil health determines the performance of your trees and the harvest you will get. Conduct a soil test to understand the conditions of your soil. This will help you know the nutrients present and what you should add to enhance soil fertility. Apply organic matter such as vegetable peelings, compost, and manure to have the best soil. Also, you can plant cover crops in your orchard, maintain the required pH range for fruit trees, and apply fertilizers at the specified rates when necessary. With healthy soil, you can keep your fruits productive throughout the year.

Prolong the growing season

Prolonging the growing season can help you harvest fruits for extended periods. To do this, prune your trees to enhance aeration and enable sunshine to penetrate to the plants, continue feeding them with fertilizers rich in potassium during the flowering period, and plant late in the season. This can be easier when growing your fruits in controlled environments. Here, you can regulate elements such as temperature, humidity, and light. Growing particular varieties in micro-climates can also help lengthen the growing season. Consult our extension officers at OxfarmAg Ltd to understand the best varieties you should plant.

Start growing

You do not need a large farm to achieve an all-year-round production. It just needs proper planning and care. Understand your soil conditions, the climate in your area, varieties to grow, and the best time to plant, and you will be good to go. Let's get growing. Order certified fruit seedlings from OxfarmAg and start your journey to an all-year-round harvest.