Hi all,
I'm looking to your expertise to recommend a fruit tree that would be good to grow as a "street tree". I live in Washington County, OR.
It's a "street tree" in the sense that I'm looking to plant it in the small (approx. 4 feet wide) "median" of soil (and grass, at the moment), that exists in front of my house between the sidewalk and the street; it's NOT a "street tree" in the sense that it's maintained (or not!) by the city or anyone else -- I'll be doing all the maintenance, and will take good care of it as long as I'm in the house (which I hope will be a very long time).
There's a curly willow there now - but it's dying (borer and girdling roots).
Thanks for any advice you can give,
-Becky-
I would discourage planting a fruiting tree near where people walk. The fruit will drop on the sidewalk and make a mess that people will step in and track into your house and into their own houses.
This spring I cut back a Yellow Transparent apple that was constantly dropping apples on the sidewalk. Every fall I had to pick up the dropped apples for fear that someone would step on one and fall and I'd be liable. I'm trying to graft on Snowdrift and Purple Prince crabapples to convert the tree to flowering crab apple.
Keep your fruit trees in areas where the fruit will not drop on areas of the yard you want to use too.
I planted an autumn olive tree in my sidewalk strip. It doesn't produce a large fruit, so it doesn't make a mess. Actually it's quite a small berry. It's very drought tolerant, with easy care, but it's tasty and extremely nutritious. Full of anti-oxidant lycopene. Has been measured as having 17 times more per unit than tomatoes. I believe the Latin name is eleagnus umbellata.
John S
PDX OR
Jostaberry can be formed into a tree form. Quite a large plant over time, and pretty abuse proof. Mine is around 10 feet or so tall. Cool looking gnarly roots.
If you don't need something tallish, black currants are pretty good at filling up vacant ground. My Swedish Black is over 8 feet wide, and probably a good 6 feet all. That could be pruned into a mini-tree shape too.
If you do not pick the berries from these in the proper timeframe, I suppose they would drop and stain concrete. Don't know if the stain is permanent though.
As unimpressive as some ‘Columnar’ apple trees I recently looked at were… they’d definitely fit the space. But the problem with any visible, if impressively large fruit, is the temptation of passers by to pluck them, if not chuck them … likely before they’re ripe. Plus, juvenile damage seems a given…
My 4 Persimmon trees have remained compact and productive (if secluded), not needing pollinators or much pruning … but they’re brittle as all get out! A heavy crop can snap a main limb – and a ten year old could split one to the ground.
…just a thought, can one place an arch over the public sidewalk? As in placing one end of a trellis within that 4 foot strip - up & over said sidewalk - and into your yard..? If so, Hardy kiwis are easy, not too conspicuous, and could be a fun challenge to weave through the matrix. A former water-meter reader, I’ve seen a lot of sidewalk, but never such an ‘arch.’
…as far as messing up the sidewalk, most appear to ignore the messes from their trees, anyone passing by just keeps going. Where the concern for sticky and staining stuff might come in is along side your driveway … before tracking it into your house. Otherwise, let em wear it off – I did 
You might look into service berries. They are on our city's(Vancouver) approved street tree list. We got one last year for our yard. The "berries" are almost blueberry-like but better(my children and I think, and we do love our blueberries!). They have a richer more complex flavor. The fruits supposedly will not litter the ground. I don't know this first hand because we ate them all. The berries ripen in June. The foliage turns a beautiful red in the fall. We have been very happy with ours and intend to plant more trimmed as a hedge.
Not all serviceberries are created equal. Mine stays at bush size: It's smaller than me. It is also NOT yummy. However, I have found one that is quite yummy in SE Portland somewhere, and if I can locate it again, then re locate it during dormant season, I will graft it onto mine. Do service berries grow from cuttings?
Thanks,
John S
PDX OR
Many neighborhoods have been overplanted with non fruiting Cleveland pear trees.
Instead I planted a Hosui asian pear for my fathers street tree. We have been training branches higher on the trunk and away from the side walk. It is fruiting now in its second year. My father can't wait to try the Hosui.
Idyllwild
simplepress
jafar
Marsha H
Viron
John S
1 Guest(s)