I recently caught myself staring at a tray of bruised Granny Smiths for sale at the local supermarket.
A few days before, I had stood baffled beside my lemon tree, wondering why the fruit had lost its sparkle.
On one hand, I was inspired to grow my own fruit, yet on the other, I was deterred from what seemed like a terribly difficult and time-consuming task.
I needed help. I wanted to create my very own utopia, with enough blueberries, oranges, lemons, mangoes and whatever else to feed my family.
To get me started I needed to chat to an expert. And who better to help this novice than Annette McFarlane. Here's what she had to say:
WHAT DO I PLANT?
An estimated 12 per cent of households in Australia have a lemon tree in their backyard, says McFarlane, author of Organic Fruit Growing.
"So no matter where you live, it's possible to get a lemon variety that's going to be suitable to grow," she tells AAP.
Other fruit that is widely adaptable and easy to handle includes passionfruit, which McFarlane says will grow both in cool and warm climates. Blueberries also grow across a wide range of climates and can be planted in pots if you have limited space.
If you're searching for something different, you could try a tamarillo (also known as a tree tomato) or a jaboticaba.
McFarlane says the jaboticaba is one of her favourite fruiting plants. It looks like a lilly pilly and is often used for screening or as a green backdrop, she adds, but it produces black fruit the size of a large marble. The fruit has a sweet flesh, she says, from which you can suck the juice, or use to make jam.
"They're really, really hardy trees, they don't really need any care or attention, you don't have to water them, they don't get any pests and diseases, and they fruit two to three times a year."
HOW DO I NURTURE FRUIT?
"I think people underestimate the amount of fertiliser and nutrition that fruit trees require," says McFarlane, who also presents a gardening show on ABC Radio in Brisbane.
"When we think about perhaps growing herbs or vegetables we think about feeding them on a regular basis but we don't tend to do that with fruit trees."
People think giving a fruit tree fertiliser once a year will be enough to keep it vibrant and growing, but it's not, says McFarlane.
Apply a small amount of fertiliser at least every season and if the plants are in containers, use a smaller amount and apply it more often.
"You could actually put your fertiliser on every two months. Whenever you would put nutrition on other parts of the garden or potted plants, you could do that to your fruit trees as well."
WHAT TYPE OF FERTILISER DO I USE?
There are various types of fertiliser that will help your fruit trees and plants grow. Horse manure works, as well as compost and the liquid from a worm farm.
"If the (plant) is really leaping out of the ground and growing quickly you know you're giving it enough nutrition," says McFarlane, "but if it's just sort of sitting there, not growing very much, perhaps the leaves are looking a bit pale and yellow, then you really know you need to perhaps give it something that's going to boost its growth a little more."
Many gardeners tend to be heavy-handed with fertiliser, believing the application rate is proportional to the size of the bag, she says.
A few handfuls around each tree, applied regularly and watered in, will do the job, McFarlane advises.
"Little and often is key with fertiliser application."
HOW DO I CONTROL PESTS AND DISEASES?
Active observation is the trick when keeping an eye out for pests and diseases, says McFarlane.
"If you look at your plants closely you'll be able to really detect any pest or disease outbreaks right at the outset rather than waiting until the plant is completely diseased and completely sick and almost beyond help."
If something looks amiss, McFarlane says there are simple remedies you can use. They include natural oil sprays and soap sprays that can be applied to the tops and undersides of leaves and to stems.
"Any soap you're happy to use on your own skin is going to be safe enough to put on your plants ... that often will just suffocate pest problems and overcome a lot of diseases."
For bigger pests, such as possums, McFarlane says some gardeners use parsley as a deterrent, so the animals will eat that instead of your pretty and expensive roses. You could also cover plants to protect them.
"If possums are hungry they'll eat anything in the garden ... my attitude is to try and plant as much as you can so that there's plenty for them and also for you."
HOW MUCH DO I PRUNE?
The issue of pruning for novices is part of the reason McFarlane wrote Organic Fruit Growing. She believes people are confused about how much to prune and what to prune on a fruit tree.
Her advice is to watch what neighbours and more experienced gardeners are doing, and if in doubt, leave the secateurs in the shed.
"If you're really not sure then leave well enough alone because you could do more harm by pruning off wood that would normally produce flowers and fruit for you."
WHAT SOIL DO I USE?
We don't all have nutrient-rich soil in our backyards and McFarlane says it can take time to improve what you have.
She says before planting fruit trees, prepare the soil by mixing in compost a week or two earlier. Over time, continue adding more compost, horse manure, or other organic materials around the tree.
But "as long as they have good drainage that's the critical thing".
WHAT FRUIT GROWS IN WHAT CLIMATE?
"Nurseries stock those things that will be suitable for planting in your area," says McFarlane, "and spring is the best time to have a look and talk with nursery staff about what is suitable.
"If you're a novice gardener, you really need to just tell the staff at your local nursery that and they'll recommend plants that are going to be suitable for you."
WILL I HAVE TO WAIT LONG FOR FRUIT?
Some trees can take decades to produce fruit, particularly if they are seed-grown. However, plants grown from cuttings or that are grafted will fruit more easily, says McFarlane.
If you are impatient, she suggests opting for blueberries, tamarillo, passionfruit or a lemon tree, which she says should produce fruit within the first 12 months of planting.
MY PLACE IS TINY, CAN I STILL GROW FRUIT?
Blueberries, tamarillo and jaboticaba can be grown in a small garden as long as they are pruned regularly, McFarlane says.
"Many lemons are grafted onto dwarfing root stock", she adds, while other varieties can be grown in containers.
RECIPE FOR BOTANICAL OIL SPRAY
Ingredients:
500ml vegetable oil
1/2 cup dishwashing liquid or liquid soap
Instructions:
Combine and shake well before diluting 1 tablespoon of the concentrate with 1L of water. Spray affected plants.
Note: Use oil-based mixtures to suffocate mites, scale and other soft-bodied insects. They help to repel leaf miner moths, and some gardeners even find them effective against grasshoppers.
Avoid using botanical oil sprays during very hot weather and on plants with hairy leaves.
* Organic Fruit Growing by Annette McFarlane is published by ABC Books, rrp $35.
