How to train a fruit tree
Discover the best ways to train various fruiting plants.
Trained fruit trees are a fantastic way of incorporating fruit into a small garden, or a wide variety of fruits into a larger garden.
Trained against a wall or fence, they take up hardly any room, and provide abundant crops. You can also use them as a screen or divider. You could combine them with dwarf fruit trees, which remain compact and can be grown in the ground or in pots.
More fruit tree content:
- Fruit tree root stocks explained
- Essential apple care guide
- How to plant an apple tree
- What are the blue tits pecking on my fruit tree? (video)
The main tree shapes are espaliers, fans and cordons – but which shape suits each type of fruit? Read on to find out.
Apples and pears
Apples and pears are usually trained as espaliers or cordons, with the tree grafted onto a dwarfing rootstock to restrict its vigour. If training one yourself from scratch, choose a spur-bearing variety (most varieties are spur-bearing), as tip-bearers aren't suitable for pruning in this way.
Stone fruit
Stone fruit – cherries, plums, peaches, apricots and nectarines – are traditionally trained as fans, as the shape suits their vigour and the fruit ripens better when given the warmth of a wall.
Figs
Fig trees are often grown as fans, too – as they also like the additional heat radiating from a wall in summer. As a bonus, the rubble at the base of many walls also restricts their roots, which stops them growing too leafy and promotes fruiting.
Soft fruits
Gooseberries, redcurrants and whitecurrants crop brilliantly when trained as double or triple cordons. They look great trained against a wall or standing independently as a garden divider.
Planting bareroot fruit trees
You'll find the best selection of varieties sold as bareroot trees in winter. This is a cheaper way of buying them, too.
Christmas offer
Gift a subscription to BBC Gardeners' World magazine and save 51% on the shop price.
Year Planner 2025 on sale
Starting to plan your gardening year? The Year Planner 2025 is packed with expert advice from the Gardeners’ World team, to ensure you have your best gardening year yet.
New podcast series
Join Monty and the team for advice on winter gardening, tulips, caring for birds, house plants and more in the new BBC Gardeners' World Magazine podcast series.
