If your dreams of having a huge orchard with a variety of fruit trees is cramped by the realities of your tiny gardening space, then grafting may be the answer.

Although it might sound like something an unscrupulous politician would engage in, grafting is the art of growing different varieties on a single host plant. Instead of having a dozen different fruit trees, you can, with some planning and research, have a dozen different fruits growing on a single tree.

You may not realize it, but grafting is quite common — any fruit or citrus tree you buy in a nursery is the product of grafting. A dormant twig (called a scion) of one variety is grafted onto the host tree (called rootstock) to get the best of both worlds — a tasty variety growing on a tree better suited to conditions and is more disease resistant than the scion.

Idell Weydemeyer with the Gold Gate chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers association, was our final speaker for the winter at Our Garden.

Here are the highlights of her talk.

  • Why graft? Grafting allows multiple varieties on one plant, allowing you to grow a mix of early to late fruit, achieve cross pollination, foil frost with different bloom times, and preserve antique or local varieties.

  • Grafting also allows you to control the size of the tree by grafting onto dwarfing rootstocks, and by matching the rootstock, not the fruit tree, to your area soil conditions.

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    Cut scions from vigorously growing, 1-year-old wood with long spaces between buds. Choose single-bud wood (leaf buds) rather than clusters (flower buds). Graft the scion onto simular sized 1-year-old wood on your tree branches. The grafts will take better with scions that have no more than three leaf buds. That way the graft puts its energy into growing in its new home, not producing a lot of leaves.

  • In a process called whip grafting, match the diameter of the base and the scion, then make identical 1 to 1½ inch diagonal cuts on each. Make sure the two pieces match and fit against each other as closely as possible and that the cambium (the filmy, thin green layer) touches.

  • Seal the graft by wrapping it tightly with grafting tape. Seal the top of the scion with Parafilm or Buddy Tape.

  • Label your grafts with metal tags and make a note of what you've grafted.

  • For more information and details on when to collect scions, which scions to pair with which rootstocks and details on the associations annual scion exchange, visit www.crfg.org or www.crfg.org/chapters/golden_gate.

    Our Garden online

    Winter is approaching but that doesn't mean we've rolled up the garden. Check progress in the garden at ContraCostaTimes.com/ourgarden. or InsideBayArea.com/ourgarden. Follow us on twitter.com/gardeneditor.

    Sponsors

    The Bay Area News Group-East Bay thanks Our Garden's sponsors:

  • Ace, Walnut Creek Hardware, 2044 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Walnut Creek, 925-705-7500

  • Bond Manufacturing, Antioch

  • Central Contra Costa Solid Waste Authority, 1111 Civic Drive, Suite 275, Walnut Creek, 925-906-1801, www.wastediversion.org.

  • CK Management Systems, 315 Diablo Road, Suite 220, Danville, 925-943-7323, www.cklandscape.com.

  • Contra Costa County Cooperative Extension and Master Gardeners

  • Hamilton Tree Service, 127 Aspen Drive No. 211, Pacheco, 925-228-1010

  • Marsha McCollum Leutza, representing Botanical Interests, 337 Cleveland Ave., Petaluma, 94958

  • Merlot Nursery, 701 Northgate Road, Walnut Creek, 925-943-1958

  • Monster Worms, Dave Anderson, P.O. Box 1211, Antioch, CA 94509, 925-890-5773, MonsterWorms.com.

  • Mt. Diablo Nursery, 3295 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, 925-283-3830

  • Orchard Nursery, 4010 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, 925-284-4474

  • Traverso Tree Service, 3354 Freeman Road, Walnut Creek, 925-930-7901, www.traversotree.com.

    Master Gardener Class
    If you live in Contra Costa County and are interested in becoming a Master Gardener, training classes begin Jan. 5. If you live in another county, check with your Master Gardener program for their class schedules.
    Here are the details:
  • Classes will be 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays through May 4 at 75 Santa Barbara Road, Second Floor, Pleasant Hill.
  • Training involves 64 hours of horticulture study.
  • $225 fee covers textbooks and other materials.
  • After completing the program, Master Gardeners are required to complete 75 hours of approved volunteer work on a variety of community projects, including Our Garden.
  • Applications are due Nov. 20.
  • For more information or an application, go to the Contra Costa Master Gardener Web site at ccmg.ucdavis.edu or contact Master Gardener Program Coordinator Emma Connery at 925-646-6130 or edconnery@ucdavis.edu.

    About our Garden
    Our Garden is tended by the Contra Costa Master Gardeners. For more information on the Master Gardeners visit ccmg.ucdavis.edu; to contact them call the help line, 9 a.m.-noon Monday through Thursday, 925-646-6586; or reach them by e-mail, mgcontracosta@ucdavis.edu.