Did you know there are around 2,500 varieties of apples that grow in the U.S.? You certainly wouldn’t if you’ve only gone to the grocery store. There are varieties of apples that are coveted by chefs, like the heirloom Esopus Spitzenburg, but good luck finding that at the supermarket. So, why not grow apples and other fruits and berries yourself?
No doubt, fresh fruit, plucked from a tree, is magical. Picking that sun-ripened, juicy peach right off the branch and biting into the soft, fuzzy fruit is the essence of a hot summer day. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could do that? But trees take years to grow, right? Not necessarily! There are fast-growing fruit trees that bear fruit in as little as two years, and that’s why fertilizer exists!
If you want to start growing fruits and berries at home, keep in mind that critters may find their way into your yard too. Just about every animal loves fresh fruit and they will come knocking when you look like you’re serving a buffet. But don’t worry, there are many ways to protect your fruit trees from deer and other animals.
In the articles below, we share everything you need to know about growing fruits and berries. You can learn more about the delicious art of fruit and berry gardening in our How to Grow a Vegetable Garden: 10 Things Every Gardener Needs to Know Before Starting a Food Garden freebie. Enjoy!
I’ve always loved the idea of walking into my backyard and picking an apple or some cherries right off the tree. It seems so idyllic, like a ray of sunshine will illuminate the tree and the birds will sing and it will be the most wonderful fruit I’ve ever had. I think we all know that’s not quite how it works. One thing I didn’t count on, however, was protecting fruit trees from deer.
If you have a fruit tree or two in your garden, you may have noticed something called premature fruit drop. Depending on the type of fruit, this might happen several times during the season. Understandably, this can be concerning. Seeing your beautiful fruit suddenly falling to the ground, even though everything seems fine. There are […]
Whether spring or fall, both are great times to start your backyard orchard! If you’ve been following along for some time, you know that when we bought our house, it had the most beautiful flower gardens, but I had a hard time loving them. In fact, I sort of hated them, because I didn’t know […]
Whenever I hear about lingonberries, I’m teleported to the scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the O.G. film with Gene Wilder) where the kids are licking wallpaper. The snozzberries taste like snozzberries! Wallpaper licking aside, for some folks like me the lingonberry is a bit more on the fringe than the more popular cranberry or blueberry.
Fresh fruit, plucked from a tree, is magical. Picking that sun-ripened, juicy peach right off the branch and biting into the soft, fuzzy fruit is the essence of a hot summer day. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could do that? But trees take years to grow, right? Not necessarily! These fast-growing fruit trees could bear tasty gifts for you in as little as two years.
Your indoor citrus trees have a thing or two to say about your relationship. Don’t take this the wrong way; they appreciate what you do for them. But unless you make some changes, this isn’t going to last. I’ll admit, putting this resource together for you was a little selfish on my part. I have […]
A versatile and delicious fruit (that is also an excellent source of fiber), it’s no wonder why so many people want to learn how to grow figs. In their native environments, fig trees will produce year-round, feeding scores of animal and insect species. Domesticated, fig trees have become a staple in fruit tree gardening. No […]
As much as I love vegetable gardening, there’s something truly magical about having a few fruit trees in your yard. A fresh apple or peach or cherry straight from the tree is simply unbeatable. Like all plants, though, fruit trees need certain nutrients to thrive, and over time, they can deplete the soil of these nutrients.
When I hear the word “clone” I either think of Dolly the sheep or binge-watching Battlestar Gallactica. But cloning fruit trees is neither of those things and it shouldn’t be feared. In fact, farmers and gardeners have been cloning fruit trees for centuries as an easy way to jumpstart a fruit tree’s life. Sure, you can try to grow a fruit tree from seed, but after they germinate, the seedling will likely be disappointing in comparison to the parent tree.
Fruit trees are the high-school overachiever of the garden. They’re the “4.0 GPA, flawless skin, all AP classes, volunteers at a nursing home” type. Flowering fruit trees are the darling of any garden because they do so much! They produce delicious fruit to be snacked on, baked, frozen, or canned. They also provide shade for you and your shade-loving vegetables. Not to mention that flowering fruit trees provide gorgeous and often delicious smelling blossoms ahead of their fruiting period.
