Domakihub How to Plant a Mulberry Tree and Harvest Fruit Every Summer
A step-by-step guide for Greek homes, holiday rentals, and hotel gardens.
Reviewed by Domakihub garden pros · 2026-06-23 · 5 min read
The mulberry tree is one of the most rewarding fruit trees you can grow in Greece — it tolerates summer drought, thrives in Mediterranean heat, and produces abundantly with almost no fuss. The video above walks you through the basics visually; this guide breaks down the exact steps for getting one established in a home garden, rental courtyard, or hotel grounds. Whether you have a large plot or a modest terrace, a mulberry will reward you with generous shade and kilos of berries every June and July.
Why Mulberries Suit the Greek Climate
Greece's long dry summers and mild winters are nearly ideal for mulberry trees. Both the white mulberry (Morus alba) and the black mulberry (Morus nigra) are deeply rooted in Greek rural tradition — you will still find century-old specimens shading village squares across the Peloponnese and the Aegean islands. They handle extended drought once established and require far less irrigation than citrus or stone-fruit trees.
Black mulberries are the better choice for flavour and ornament; white mulberries fruit more heavily and tolerate poorer soils. Either variety will give you dense summer shade — a significant benefit for outdoor seating areas at holiday rentals or hotel terraces.
Best Varieties for Home Gardens and Rental Properties
For a standard home garden in Greece, Morus nigra is the preferred choice: the deep-purple berries are richly flavoured and the tree stays more manageable in size than Morus alba. If you need faster growth to create a shaded pergola area quickly, Morus alba grows more vigorously and can be trained along a trellis or fence. Dwarf or compact grafted varieties are also available at Greek nurseries and work well in large containers on terraces or balconies, making them suitable for apartment gardens or rooftop spaces.
How to Plant a Mulberry Tree: 5 Steps
- 1
Choose your site and timing
Mulberries need full sun — at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. Select a spot away from paved areas or water pipes because the roots can spread widely over time. The best planting window in Greece is late autumn (October to November) or early spring (February to March), when the soil is workable and temperatures are mild enough to encourage root establishment without heat stress.
- 2
Prepare the planting hole
Dig a hole roughly twice the width and the same depth as the root ball or container your sapling came in. Break up any compacted layers and mix the excavated soil with a generous amount of well-rotted compost or aged manure. Mulberries are not fussy about soil type but they hate waterlogged roots, so if your soil is heavy clay, add coarse sand or grit to the bottom of the hole to improve drainage.
- 3
Plant at the right depth
Set the tree so that the top of the root ball sits level with the surrounding ground — never plant deeper, as burying the trunk base invites rot. Backfill with your enriched soil mix, firming it down gently around the roots to eliminate air pockets. Build a shallow watering basin ring around the tree, about 40 cm from the trunk, to direct irrigation water straight to the root zone.
- 4
Water in and mulch
Give the newly planted tree a deep, slow watering immediately after planting — at least 20 litres — so the soil settles tightly around the roots. Spread a 7–10 cm layer of wood-chip mulch or straw over the root zone, keeping it clear of the trunk itself. This mulch layer conserves soil moisture, moderates summer soil temperature, and suppresses weeds. In the first summer, water every 7–10 days during dry spells; after the second year, established trees cope well on rainfall alone in most Greek locations.
- 5
Prune lightly in the first year
In late winter after planting, remove any crossing or inward-pointing branches to open up the canopy and establish a clean framework. Avoid heavy pruning in the first two years — mulberries bleed sap readily when cut and over-pruning delays fruiting. Once the tree is established, an annual light tidy after leaf-fall is all that is needed to keep the shape manageable and to remove dead or diseased wood.
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FAQ
- How long does it take a mulberry tree to bear fruit?
- A grafted sapling purchased from a nursery will typically fruit in its second or third year after planting. Trees grown from cuttings may take three to five years. Patience pays off — once a mulberry starts fruiting it can produce abundantly for decades.
- Can I grow a mulberry tree in a pot on my terrace?
- Yes. Choose a compact or dwarf grafted variety and a container of at least 60 litres. Use a well-draining potting mix and water more frequently than you would in the ground, especially in the Greek summer. Pot-grown trees will need repotting every two to three years and benefit from an annual top-dressing of compost.
- Do mulberry trees need another tree nearby to pollinate?
- Most mulberry varieties are self-fertile, meaning a single tree will produce fruit without a pollinating partner. This makes them particularly practical for small gardens, courtyards, or hotel grounds where space is limited.