Strong, upright columnar fruit is particularly popular with gardeners who only have a very limited amount of space available. This makes the aspect of the minimum distances to be maintained from the neighboring property a central question when selecting varieties and locations.
What distance should columnar fruit be from its neighbors?
The distance from columnar fruit to its neighbor varies depending on the federal state and plant species. Minimum distances of 2 m or more are often specified, depending on the height of the columnar fruit. Limitation periods of usually 5 years should be observed in order to avoid disputes.
Regulations on minimum distances vary in all German federal states
The question of the minimum distance to be maintained from a neighboring property when planting certain fruit trees is regulated very differently not only in each country, but even in the German federal states. The regulations vary greatly depending on the type of plant and the federal state and differentiate functionally between different “plant genera”:
- Trees
- Fruit trees
- Hedges
- Shrubs
As a rule, the minimum distances to be maintained are staggered according to the height of the columnar fruit or other plants to be planted. Since the prescribed distances can often be 2 m or more, design challenges in narrow terraced house gardens are the order of the day if amicable agreement with the neighbors is not possible.
Attention: Please note the statute of limitations
Many hobby gardeners underestimate the growth potential of columnar fruit that is planted in the garden and fertilized regularly. If you yourself are threatened by the possible shadow cast by the columnar fruit planted by your neighbor close to a property line, it is advisable to react early: In many federal states, a statute of limitations of five years applies if the specified dimensions are exceeded or fallen short of. Once this has expired, there is hardly anything that can be done legally against irregular planting.
Tip
With the already necessary, regular cutting of columnar fruit, disputes between neighbors should generally be avoided. In an emergency, if the columnar fruit has become too large, a regulation can perhaps help to de-escalate the situation, according to which both neighbors benefit from the usually quite high yields of the columnar fruit.
