info on plants for growing in Turkey

[Juco]

Hi, I am from the uk but just bought a property in Turkey so I will only be over there a couple of times a year and therefore can`t give dedicated attention to any plants. I already have a few olive trees in the garden which appear to do ok unattended, I would however like to grow a lemon/apple/orange or whatever is possible to grow giving it will have a lack of attention, and water. Can anyone give me some guidelines on what will grow unattended, I know that peppers tomatoes etc are prolific growers over there but need watering so thats ruled out. The temp is normally 30 c for most of summer months with july and august having no rain at all. Most of the rain is dec to feb.

thanks

[Richard Cline]

The lemons and apples are somewhat drought tolerant. However they will need water a few times a year. Certainly, while they are young they will need fairly frequent water. Perhaps you can make arrangements with some local resident to establish a watering cycle during your absence. I would water once a week for the first couple years, then stretching to three week intervals as the trees establish roots. It also depends on the soil. A sandy soil will not hold moisture while clay will retain moisture.

Dick

[David Hill]

Juco wrote ".....Hi, I am from the uk but just bought a property in Turkey so I will only be over there a couple of times a year and therefore can`t give dedicated attention to any plants. I already have a few olive trees in the garden which appear to do ok unattended, I would however like to grow a lemon/apple/orange or whatever is possible to grow giving it will have a lack of attention, and water. Can anyone give me some guidelines on what will grow unattended, I know that peppers tomatoes etc are prolific growers over there but need watering so that's ruled out. ....."

Best thing to do is to look and see what others around you are growing. The soil and aspect can be so variable that what may grow a few miles from you wont do for you, and what may grow on one side of a hill may not grow on the other.