Never mind that evergreen hogging the holiday spotlight in the living room. For a change, think about some other trees this month – and fruit for years to come.

Now is the time to plant bare-root fruit trees.

Why? "They're dormant," said Eric Boudier, co-owner of Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply in Grass Valley. "There's less chance of hurting the tree while transplanting. It has a better chance of getting off to a good start. It's always better when you buy a fruit tree to go bare-root."

From apples and plums to jujubes and quince, hundreds of varieties are now available or coming soon to local nurseries. Most of these trees are California-grown and primed for success in the Sacramento Valley and foothills.

With growing popularity of edible landscaping, fruit trees can do double duty. Covered with blooms, they look gorgeous in spring. During summer, they provide some needed shade.

And they come with a potentially big bonus: Delicious fruit within steps of your back door.

"Every year, our sales have been going up 10 to 15 percent," Boudier said. "Anything that relates to food production has done wonderfully for us."

The all-organic nursery sells bare-root fruit trees via its website (www. groworganic.com) and mail-order catalog in 171 varieties. This winter, Peaceful Valley will sell about 14,000 fruit trees.

"Everything comes from California," Boudier added of his fruit trees. "They'll all work well here; they'll all make fruit (usually within two or three years of planting)."

But some are easier to grow than others, said Chuck Ingels, Sacramento County farm and horticulture adviser for the UC Cooperative Extension. Each fruit comes with its own challenges.

"For beginners, cherries are out; don't even think about it – just too hard," Ingels said. "Peaches and nectarines are really good, except for the leaf curl issue (caused by a fungus). Apples and pears are great except for blight and codling moths. People tend to live with those problems or cut down the tree.

"More and more, I think plums and pluots (a plum-apricot hybrid) are the best choices for backyard orchards," Ingels said. "They're the easiest to grow with wonderful fruit. Pluots especially are the way to go."

Except most pluots need a pollinizer – another tree in a different pluot variety – in order to bear much fruit.

Among the most popular pluots: Dapple Dandy, Flavor King, Flavor Queen and Flavor Grenade. All were developed by Dave Wilson Nursery near Reedley.

Dave Wilson Nursery annually grows more than 2 million fruit trees, supplying commercial farmers as well as backyard gardeners.

Each year, Wilson's staff conducts formal fruit taste tests. Since 1994, the nursery has compiled the results of more than 43,000 individual variety ratings. The varieties are judged for sugar and acidity as well as overall flavor and appearance.

Based on combined scores from 17 years of testing, the overall winners are (in order) Arctic Jay white nectarine, Flavor King pluot and Snow Beauty peach.

But that's only a taste of the scores of varieties now on the market.

"There are so many, I lose track of them all," Ingels said.

Although options have never been greater, customers tend to stick with what they know, Boudier said.

"Apples are always popular, but they need a certain amount of cold for success," he said. "Apricots, too, are popular, but they tend to get zapped by late frost – especially in Grass Valley.

"Pears are a fantastic choice in our area," he added. "Figs and pomegranates are growing in popularity, too. Plums and pluots are good; pluots in particular have more flavor.

"But the ultimate for me – peaches," Boudier said. "That's the best I can think of. Nothing is better to pick from your backyard."

Apples, pears and cherries all need freezing nights to prompt fruit, said Richard Hong of Green Acres Nursery and Supply in Sacramento.

"Cherries can't handle wet feet," he added. "We have so much clay soil around here, they have trouble."

Peaches, nectarines and plums tend to be less fussy. They also adapt well to containers.

"You can put anything in a container," Hong said. "You can keep the tree short so the fruit is right at eye level. You never need to climb a ladder."

Shorter, more compact fruit trees help gardeners squeeze more into their backyards. The key: Start with dwarf and semi-dwarf varieties.

"The new dwarfs are two-thirds to 80 percent smaller than a full-size tree," Boudier said. "Even the semi-dwarfs are 20 to 30 percent smaller. It's easier to prune, easier to harvest and easier to get them to thrive."

Dwarf trees can be trained to grow under 6 or 7 feet tall, Ingels said. Several examples grow at the Master Gardeners' Fair Oaks Horticulture Center in Fair Oaks. They can be harvested without a ladder.

But the key is proper pruning, starting the first year. After transplanting, the bare-root fruit tree is cut back to only 18 to 24 inches tall. That promotes lower growth on the trunk. Low branches make the fruit easier to harvest.

"Buy it new, cut it low and develop it from that," Ingels said. "It's much more successful than trying to make over a full-grown tree."

Ingels likes to graft more than one variety of fruit onto the same tree. Such "fruit cocktail" or "three-in-one" trees are extremely popular for backyard growers.

"They sell out quickly," Boudier said. "People love the concept of growing several varieties on the same tree."

Another option for limited space: Plant three to four trees in the same (big) hole.

"Actually, you're digging separate holes but the trees are all close together," Ingels said. "For three trees, the trunks are 18 inches apart; for four, two feet apart. But it helps pollination and gives you lots of options."

For example, early-, mid- and late- season peaches can be planted together. The mature trees will take about the same space as one peach tree.

"But your harvest will stretch for months," Ingels said. "It's a great way to extend your season and have lots of fruit, but not all at the same time."

BARE-ROOT 101

Deciduous trees, shrubs and vines benefit from transplanting while dormant after they've lost their leaves and "gone to sleep" for the winter. Called "bare root" (because the roots are not covered by soil), this nursery stock can be planted any time now through early March.

ADVANCE PLANNING

• Do some research before deciding what kind of fruit tree and variety you want to buy. Most pluots, for example, need a pollinizer in a different variety; you'll need to plant two trees, not just one, to get good fruit set.

• Trees grown on dwarf or semidwarf rootstock or naturally dwarfed varieties make the best backyard fruit trees. They're easier to maintain and take half the space of full-size varieties. The exception is persimmon; available varieties are grown on full-size rootstock, said Eric Boudier of Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply in Grass Valley.

• As a planting site, choose a sunny spot, with at least six hours of full sun during the growing season. Tender trees (such as figs or citrus) benefit from some frost protection (such as near a house or wall) while others need "chill hours" – exposure to freezing temperatures – to set fruit.

• Fruit trees need good drainage and deep soil. But with proper irrigation, they can be grown in soil as shallow as 12 inches or in a container such as a half-wine barrel. If your soil is hardpan or heavy clay, consider planting the tree in a raised bed, 1 to 2 feet tall, filled with good topsoil. The tree's roots will benefit and the tree will bear more fruit.

Most bare-root fruit trees are already 2 to 3 years old. Expect a first crop two to three years after planting.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

• Choose a tree with a trunk that's not too big or too small, advises Chuck Ingels, farm and horticulture adviser for Sacramento County's UC Cooperative Extension. Ideally, the trunk should be a little more than a half-inch wide but less than an inch.

• Preferably, the tree should have some branching lower on its trunk, Ingels said. That helps keep the fruit within easy reach as the tree grows.

• If possible, look at the roots. They should appear healthy (not broken) and evenly spaced – not all on one side of the plant.

PLANTING AND CARE

• As long as the ground isn't frozen (a potential obstacle at higher elevations), you can plant your tree. The goal is to get it in the ground before it buds out and starts to bloom, Boudier said. If the tree flowers and sprouts leaves while its roots are still bare, it can die because its roots can't provide enough nourishment to sustain that growth.

• Before planting, soak the tree's bare roots in water several hours or overnight. That helps rehydrate them. If you don't plan to plant your tree for some time after purchase, store the tree with its roots covered in compost, damp sawdust or soil to help retain moisture.

• Prepare the planting hole and the surrounding ground. Roots can't grow in compacted soil. So dig a hole twice as wide as the spread of the roots, but no deeper than the root ball. Typically, that hole may be 5 to 6 feet wide and 2 feet deep. The shallow hole will keep the tree from settling deeper than intended.

• Trim off any damaged roots before planting. Position the tree so its graft union – the knobby area low on the trunk where the top portion of the tree was attached to rootstock – will be 2 to 4 inches above the ground. Ideally, the graft's protruding notch should be pointed northeast; that will encourage growth toward the sun and help avoid sunburn.

• After positioning the tree, use the same dirt to refill the hole halfway and firm gently, squeezing out any air pockets. Using the natural unamended soil will encourage the tree's roots to grow out and into the surrounding ground in search of nutrients.

• Lay the shovel handle (or other long straight edge) across the top of the hole to check the tree's depth. You don't want to plant it too deep. Once the hole is filled, the soil should slope gently away from the trunk so water can't collect at the base (which can rot the crown).

• Finish filling the hole, gently firming the soil around the roots. The top roots will be just below the surface of the soil.

• Water deeply. Water once or twice a week (less if it rains) until the tree is well established.

• Wait until new growth is several inches long before applying any fertilizer.

• Keep the area around the new tree weeded. Don't plant anything else under the sapling; that undergrowth will compete for water and nutrients. Use mulch to maintain soil moisture for the new roots, but keep it 2 to 3 inches away from the trunk.

RESOURCES

• The UC Master Gardeners will host a workshop devoted to planting and maintaining backyard fruit trees at their Fair Oaks Horticulture Center in Fair Oaks Park, 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd., Fair Oaks. The free workshop will be held 9 a.m. to noon Jan. 21. No advance registration is necessary. For details, click on http://cesacramento.ucdavis.edu.

• The Master Gardeners will answer questions on bare-root fruit tree selection and care via their county hot lines.

• Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply offers how-to videos and tips on fruit tree selection, planting and care on its website, www.groworganic.com. For more information or a catalog, call the nursery's hotline, (888) 784-1722.

• Flower Hut Nursery (Highway 65 at Fourth Street, Wheatland) specializes in fruit trees. Its website features a video on how to plant four trees in one hole to save space, as well as results of taste tests on backyard fruit to help gardeners find the best varieties for their needs. Click on www.flowerhutnursery.com or call (530) 633-4526.

• Green Acres Nursery & Supply, with locations in Sacramento and Roseville, offers a detailed tree planting guide on its website, www.idiggreenacres.com. With their bare-root fruit trees arriving later this month, the nurseries also have a large selection in pots of citrus, figs and pomegranates, which are planted now, too.

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Call The Bee's Debbie Arrington, (916) 321-1075.

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