Introduction
While you can grow a wide variety of trees in Wisconsin, it’s best to stick to the varieties that are native to the state. Native trees are resilient to local weather and soil conditions and are less vulnerable to local pests and diseases. It’s even better if you plant native Wisconsin trees that bore edible fruits and can provide you the bounty of nature every season. If you aren’t familiar with preparing the soil and planting or taking care of trees, you should hire professionals by searching for “tree service near me”. Let’s check out some common edible fruit trees in Wisconsin:
The Trees
- Red Mulberry Tree – The Red Mulberry tree as the name suggests bears delicious red mulberries that look like blackberries but taste like raspberries. You can directly eat the fruit or use them in all kinds of recipes to make wine and jelly. You can also dry them and use them in your custom trail mix or as a healthy snack. Growing these trees is very easy since they can be grown both from seeds and cuttings. Their fruits are also very effective for attracting songbirds and other forms of wildlife to your property. The tree can grow as tall as 50 feet when fully mature and the canopy can spread as wide as 40 feet to provide you with ample shade. While the female tree bears juicy fruits, you have to nail the time of harvesting them. Otherwise, it’s going to create a mess on your lawn, driveway, porch, and other places.
- Apple Fruit Tree – Apple Fruit trees or Malus pumila is a deciduous tree native to Wisconsin and can grow as much as 30 feet in the wild. However, they are quite short trees that are less than 20 feet tall when cultivated in an orchard. The tree blossoms during the spring season and buds’ new leaves during the same time. The beautiful white blossoms of this tree create an incredible spectacle in your garden. The bloom transitions through several shades of pink and the king bloom in the set of four to six flowers develop the largest apple. Cultivators of this tree harvest the apple in different sizes depending on the market preference. For instance, while Japanese customers prefer a large apple, US consumers prefer smaller apples around 3 inches in diameter. This tree would also benefit you if you’re interested in beekeeping.
- Pin Cherry Tree – If you live near the beach or have low productivity soil in your yard, this is one of the best trees to grow. Usually found in sandy plains, clearing, and shores, the Pin Cherry tree grows 30 feet tall and is a rapid-growing tree that can begin bearing fruits within just a couple of years. That’s why you won’t mind its short life span that barely lasts four decades. Moreover, the fruits are loved by birds and animals that disperse their seeds very quickly. So, you may find a few pin cherry trees popping up in your neighborhood after you start growing one in the backyard. Make sure that you don’t eat the hard cherry fruits right after picking. It contains cyanide compounds that need to be removed by cooking the pulp. You can also make nutritious jellies from the sour cherries. When you plant this tree, you have to consider the location very carefully so that it gets full sunlight. Otherwise, the plant would barely grow to a shrub in the shade. Apart from the fruits, you can also use the bark of this tree. The bark has been used in medicine for treating bronchitis, cough, colds, fevers, and even laryngitis.
- Black Cherry Tree – The Black Cherry Tree, also known as Wild Rum Cherry and Wild Cherry is one of the largest cherry trees in existence that can grow as high as 80 feet. While the tree has a narrow footprint with most of the branches growing vertically to form a crown, it also means that you get a lot of shade. It also features attractive leaves with serrated edges that turn to attractive hues of yellow and rose during the fall season. The white blooms of this tree create attractive red fruits that invite all sorts of critters and wildlife to your yard. While the fruits are attractive to wildlife, it’s inedible for humans fresh off the tree. You can create it into jams or jellies or use it for flavoring liquors. Growing it is also fairly easy as long as you plant it on fertile, well-drained loamy soil with full sun.
- American Plum Tree – While the American Plum Tree can be short, it can also be a multi-stemmed shrub. In its shrub form, it can be found in abandoned farms, woodlands, pastures, and more such places with sandy soil. On the other hand, the tree barely grows to a height of 25 feet but makes up for it with its wide canopy. The white flowers on this tree bloom during early March and create juicy and fleshy purple plums that can be as wide as an inch. Make sure to harvest them after they fully mature to savor the sweet taste. However, while planting this tree you need to be aware of its woody root system. The underground runners can birth new saplings in undesired places and need to be managed so that they don’t damage landscaping features. While the tree is mainly grown for its ornamental value due to its thorny lateral branches and yellowish red leaves, the fruits can be picked and eaten raw. You can also grow this tree in both the full sun and partial shade.
Conclusion
By now you should be familiar with all the native Wisconsin trees that can provide you delicious fruits. If you haven’t taken care of large trees before, you should hire pros by searching for “tree service near me”. Pros know how to avoid power lines and grow the tree without creating problems for your home or your neighborhood.
