Buying Fruit and Nut Trees

People often ask where to buy fruit and nut trees from. You can easily pick up Meyer lemons, Tahitian limes, lemons, mini dwarf trees to be kept in pots, and all manner of berries from Home Hardware in Katoomba. Along the highway in Faulconbridge the Fruit Shop there also sells trees. Oranges, lemons and other young trees available in post, around $30 each last time I looked, as well as herbs for companion planting. I picked up a variegated cumquat from another place just off the highway the other way, on route to Hartley, this was a particularly lucky find, there being almost no other fruit trees available there. 

Be aware that even local shops will sell plants and trees which may not grow in your yard as the climate changes so much from one end of the mountains to another. So it makes sense to do a bit of research first (see our list of what grows where) and talk to the staff if you're still not sure, before you suffer the lost of a tree (heartbreaking!). 

If you're looking for a wider variety, and heritage trees for, then mail order is your best bet. 
Up north, in warmer climes,  Forbidden Fruits have everything from Acerola Cherry  (Malpighia emarginata) Midyim berry(Austromytus dulcis) to the humungous White Sapote. 

Daleys Fruit Trees based in northern NSW have a terrific selection and heaps of buyers contribute to a community forum with lots of growing experiences shared. They also offer trees especially for container growing and at the other end of the scale, have a wholesale option for those of you looking to establish larger orchards.

Upper mountains residents in our cool climate may prefer to buy trees from similar cooler climates which need less acclimatisation on delivery to our mountain heights.

Woodbridge Fruit Trees is where all the heritage apple trees down at Katoomba Community Gardens came from over 20 years ago, and all but one still going strong. You can buy trees 'bare rooted' without soil attached and therefore less shipping costs from them in mid-winter mid July-August. They stock dwarf trees, crab apples, plums, apricots and quinces & 'step over' apples for those of use packing a lot of fruit into smaller spaces. Check out their guide to pollination to make sure of good productivity.

Pete the Permie is brimming with passion and knowledge about fruit trees, and on his site you can find excellent information about the range of different rootstocks something not well or easily explained elsewhere. Although based in Victoria and not inclined to post trees unless absolutely necessary, he will be travelling around a bit in Winter so pick ups can be arranged. 

Yalca Fruit Trees also in Victoria, delivering July/August stock a large range of fruit and nut trees including quite an extensive range of figs and ballerina apples (grow in one column).

Diggers, also based in Victoria, are perhaps better known for open pollinated seeds also sell a wide variety of heritage fruit and nut trees. The community gardens' pear trees planted there in the shelter of a long established hazel hedge in the community gardens are doing well. They also supply various 'collections' which ensure you have the right trees for pollination and/or supply with fruit throughout the season with early mid and late cropping varieties.


If you know of fruit tree sellers who should be added to this list please get in touch with the Fruit and Nut Tree Network via edibleforests@gmail.com