BDN interviews Moran about using dwarf trees to grow more fruit in Maine
Renae Moran, a tree fruit specialist with the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, spoke with the Bangor Daily News for the article, “Can Maine grow more fruit with smaller trees?” Moran, who works at UMaine Extension’s Highmoor Farm in Monmouth, has been running an experiment as part of a national project studying cold hardiness in dwarf trees, which are small, bear fruit early and live relatively short lives, according to the article. Dwarf trees work well for home gardeners and farms that want small trees that fruit soon, but they struggle with the cold. Traditional, full-sized trees take up to a decade to fruit, but offer cold hardiness and last for decades, the article states. “People tell me, ‘You can’t plant dwarf trees in The County, they’ll die,’” Moran said. “We’re going to find out.”