Fruit trees tend to prefer sandy, loaming soil in which they can easily build roots without hitting rock or clay. They perform best in well-draining areas, and generally will not thrive in places where water pools or the soil is constantly drenched. Soil amendments can improve the success of your fruit trees, especially in places with clay soil. If your landscape is full of clay, add enough loam that the soil at your planting site is composed of about one-third loam. In large-scale orchards, you may see trees planted on a berm of top-soil. This can be replicated in the home garden, using topsoil or loam to create a high row of soil. Mounded soil drains more completely, and gives trees space to establish roots above the heavier clay.