Almost every month we find that we are being fed a new exercise, or diet, plan cleverly crafted to encourage us to alter our lives.

It is true that we all need to take a close look at our current behaviour with the intention of eating at least a little  more fresh vegetables and fruit and exercising more regularly. One thing we may wish  to think about is growing 1 or 2 fruit trees in our yard. However, as most gardens are only rather small, it is highly probable that you may be rather restricted in what you can do.

Most of us comprehend that organic vegetables and fruit are much better for us than the alternatives unfortunately the added cost is sometimes too prohibitive. We also understand that the fresher the vegetable is the  more vitamins and minerals it will have. By growing our very own fruit trees we are able to produce organic fruit at an extremely low cost furthermore, because it can be harvested immediately before use, such fruit is also the freshest it can be.

The vast majority of us live in an urban environment where it is common to have backyards which afford only a very small place in which to cultivate a garden. Such yards are largely unsuitable for large mature trees which can cause a collection of problems. The roots can encroach upon foundations, branches can force themselves against walls and windows and they also restrict the light. The most obvious problem is that such a large item in a small space will simply appear silly.

Even in the smallest yard something amazingly wonderfull can be created. Professional landscape designers can create the most amazing plans but, with a fair bit of time and effort, it is possible to do this yourself. To do it properly you will need to read up a little to understand which are the best plants, shrubs and trees to incorporate and the most suitable way to use them.

If you have a really small place the inclusionaddition of a fruit tree will add beauty and interest. In the spring the tree will be covered in superb looking, and sweet smelling, blossom. By the time of fall the tree will be covered in ripe fruit perfect for the picking. Even during the winter a fruit tree can still look rather interesting and such a tree can act as a focal point.

It is now possible to purchase dwarf types of fruit tree, these are generated by grafting the main stem of a fruit tree to carefully chosen dwarf root stock. Modern dwarf root stock, such as M9, is more reliable than older types of dwarf root stock. M9 root stock can cause a fruit tree to remain incredibly small while it is still able to produce a much larger amount of fruit.

Modern compact fruit trees can be grown in small yards as the dwarf variety produces a large amount of fruit from the tinniest of bushes. A dwarf fruit tree will not often be taller than 1.8m high but the amount of growth can be decreased a little further by growing it in a container. By following a perfectly planned pruning regime you can restrict the growth while retaining a appealing architecture.

Amongst the most useful of fruit trees for the gardener with only a little backyard, is the spur apple tree. While the tree is still able to reach up to 1.8m high it has such an upright habit that it often appears rather strange covered in a multitude of ripened apples.

Besides as apple trees there are dwarf types of fruit tree such as plums, pears, figs, cherries, nectarines and various others.