I am planning on panting a variety of fruit trees. Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Apricots, Cherry and maybe a few nut trees. A few years ago I planted Summer Squash and Zucchini right next to each other and was told that they cross pollinated each other and became a hybrid because what I got was not Summer Squash, Zucchini, or even edible.

Will the same thing happen to Fruit trees if I plant them too close together? How far apart should I plant different species? I was told that nothing else would produce around a Black Walnut Tree. Is this true? I guess what I really need to know is what NOT to do. If that at all makes sense.

Thank You, Lee

Hi Lee, first a bit about the birds and bees. whenever plants are cross pollinated the expression of traits of the cross does not appear until the seeds from the cross are planted. in other words putting squash and zucchini next to each other is not a problem even if they do cross unless you save the seeds and try to grow new plants the next year. it does not effect the quality of the vegetable until the next year. that is when you will see the cross traits. how close the fruits trees are is the same way. not a big deal unless you save the seeds and plant them. plus cherries and apples etc won't cross with each other. spacing is just a matter of giving the plants enough room to grow. Black walunt trees can effect some plants in their growth causing stunting. check out this website for more info. http://www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/HO/HO-193.pdf good luck, Sandy