Strawberries are the earliest fruit to harvest in spring. Strawberries also come to harvest in summer and fall, and in winter as well in many regions—if you plant the right varieties. Strawberries are easy to grow but they do require some attention to ensure a bountiful crop. Choose cultivars that grow well in your region….
Fruits
Strawberry Varieties for Home Gardens
Strawberries are the first fruit of spring. They can also be one of the last fruits harvested in autumn, and they are a winter crop in many regions. To get a long harvest of strawberries, choose a combination of early harvest, mid-season harvest, and late-season harvest June-bearing strawberries, and also plant also everbearing, and day-neutral…
Pear Varieties for Backyard Gardens
Pears are easy to grow. There are pears for fresh eating, cooking, and canning. Pears grow just about everywhere apples grow with the exception of far northern gardens. Grow pears in USDA Zones 4 to 9. Most pears require cross-pollination for fruit set. Choose pears that flower at the same time in spring—early, mid-spring, or…
How to Plant, Grow, and Harvest Avocados
Avocados have a nutlike flavor and flesh that is buttery in its consistency. Avocados are eaten raw in salads, dips, and sandwiches. They are richer in fat than any other fruit except the olive—20 to 30 percent fat—93 percent unsaturated. There are more than 500 avocado varieties. Some can be grown in warm winter temperate…
How to Plant, Grow, Prune, and Harvest Persimmons
Ripe persimmon makes a delicious breakfast food or snack, halved and eaten like a melon. Persimmons can also be sliced and used in winter salads or compotes. They can be pureed for sorbets, ice cream, steamed puddings, cookies, and quick bread. Persimmon trees are relatively easy to grow. They are tolerant of most soils as…
How to Plant, Grow, Prune, and Harvest Pomegranates
Pomegranate fruits have a leathery hard skin; inside are hundreds of small seeds, each surrounded by a juicy red pulp. The pomegranate can be grown as a bushy shrub or as a small tree. The fruits come to harvest from mid-summer through autumn. Pomegranate seeds, pulp, and juice are both tart and sweet. Pomegranates can…
How to Plant, Grow, Prune, and Harvest Quince
Quince fruit looks like a fuzzy-skinned cross between an apple and a squat pear. Quince is an autumn fruit. The quince plant is a large bush, as large as 10 feet tall and 10 feet wide. A ripe quince has a yellow skin with hints of green. The flesh is yellowish-white, with small seeds, like…
How to Plant, Grow, Prune, and Harvest Kiwifruit
Kiwifruits are easy to grow. They grow in clusters like grapes. Each is about the size of an egg or smaller. They have firm flesh like a melon and flavor that is a blend of melon, banana, lime, and strawberry. There are several kiwifruit varieties, some for growing in warm winter regions, some for growing…
How to Plant, Grow, Prune, and Harvest Olives
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…
