Olives grow best where summers are long, hot, and humidity is low. They are easy to grow and care for. There are dozens of olive varieties, the fruit varying slightly in size, shape, and flavor. Olives are too bitter to eat raw. They are either cured for table serving or pressed for cooking oil. The…
How to Plant, Grow, Prune, and Harvest Figs
Figs are one of the sweetest fruits. Figs can be purple, green, yellow, or white-skinned depending on the variety. The flesh can range from gold to deep red. When ripe the moist flesh is intensely sweet and the skin is edible. Figs are easy to grow and mostly trouble-free. They grow best where winters are…
How to Plant, Grow, Prune, and Harvest Citrus
Citrus—oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, and kumquats—thrive outdoors where summers are warm and winters are mild. But citrus is not only for warm climates. Citrus fruits can be grown in cool regions in pots or planters that can sit outdoors in warm weather and be moved indoors in cool weather. Citrus fruits take months to ripen—six…
How to Plant, Grow, Prune, and Harvest Apricots
The apricot is a delectable, sweet fruit. It is the first fruit tree to bloom in spring and the earliest to harvest in summer. Apricots like moderately cold winters but not late freezes. They like warm summers, but not too hot, and low humidity—very dry weather is good. Apricots are the sweetest when ripened on…
How to Plant, Grow, Prune, and Harvest Plums
Plums are a diverse group of fruiting trees. Plums can be found in most temperate regions of the world. There is a wide range of tree sizes, forms, colors, and flavors. European plums are blue and widely grown. Japanese plums are red and very popular. Native American plums are small and tart. Damson plums are…
How to Plant, Grow, Prune, and Harvest Cherries
Cherries can be red, bright pink, almost black, and pale yellow sometimes flecked with orange. Sweet cherries have a sweet, succulent fruit that can be eaten out of hand raw. Sour cherries stay tart until they are very ripe; they are generally too acidic to eat without cooking. Use sour cherries for pies, cobblers, and…
How to Plant, Grow, Prune, and Harvest Grapes
Dessert grapes and wine grapes are not difficult to grow in the home garden. Grapes grow well in most regions. The most commonly grown grapes fall into two categories American grapes and European grapes. American grapes are most hardy; they will grow in regions where winter temperatures fall to 0°F. European grapes are less hardy;…
How to Plant, Grow, Prune, and Harvest Currants
Currants are small, round berry-like fruits that can be eaten fresh or cooked with sugar and made into pie fillings, puddings, dessert sauces, jams, and jellies. There are red, white–actually yellowish-white, and black fruited currants. Currants grow as bushes to about 6 feet tall. They grow best in cool-summer regions and seldom thrive in warm-summer…
How to Plant, Grow, Prune, and Harvest Gooseberries
Gooseberries are small, round thin-skinned fruits that look a lot like grapes. Ripe gooseberries can be green, pink, yellow, or white. Some gooseberry varieties are for fresh-eating and desserts; others are for cooking—pies, tarts, jam, jellies, and sauces; and some varieties can be used both fresh and cooked. The gooseberry is a hardy, deciduous, perennial…
How to Plant, Grow, Prune, and Harvest Raspberries
Raspberries are perhaps the most delicate fruit. This makes them a good choice for home growing and fresh picking. Just harvested raspberries quickly pass from ripe to overripe. It is difficult to find them just right at the market; they should be eaten within a day or two of picking, otherwise they should be frozen…
