The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruits and Berries Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply
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There is nothing better than a freshly picked apple or raspberry from your own backyard and yet many homeowners lack the resources or the necessary gardening acumen to effectively plant and harvest their own fruit. While some fruits, like apples, grow in almost any climate (as many as 35 of 50 states providing perfect conditions), others like blackberries and blueberries are incredibly hard to grow without the right soil, weather, and care.
This book will guide every man and woman out there who has ever wanted to grow their own crop of fruits and berries or who has tried and failed. From the simplest fruit tree to the most fickle berry bush, this book will be your one and only guide. You will learn how to select your fruits and berries of choice, using a combination of climate information that matches the best possible bushes, trees, and vines to your home and how these plants will grow there. You will learn how to maintain your plants in your climate with the right sunlight, location, soil, and fertilizer and what each different kind of fruit or berry needs to be most effective. You will learn the planting conditions and the maintenance that each fruit or berry needs, from pruning and picking, to maintaining a pest free environment around your plants.
Starting with the most basic aspects of your planting sequence, you will learn everything possibly needed to grow and have your very own fruits and berries every year. Additionally, the top gardeners around have contributed, through interviews, their own tips and tricks to effectively growing and maintaining the lives of your new fruit and berry trees and bushes. With this book, any prospective gardener can start enjoying the sweet fruits of their labor.
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Reviews for The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruits and Berries Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply
5 ratings3 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Have you ever wanted to grow your own fruit in your backyard? It doesn’t matter which state you live in, you can still plant fruit in your yard. The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruit and Berries will advise you on what fruits grow the best in your region. If you think you can just toss some seeds in the ground and that’s it, you have been wrongly informed. You must first find out what is the best location and soil for your fruit tree. Don’t forget about the sunlight and shade, because it varies from fruit to fruit. There are also dangers do learn about; diseases, insects, and animals. You’ll learn about the different types of soil, the basic gardening tools, cultivation and planting, and caring for your plants. Growing your own fruits and berries is an interesting hobby for anyone. The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruits and Berries is full of great information on the subject. There is even a few recipes in the Appendix B section. If you want to learn how to grow fruit, then this book is for you.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5“The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruits and Berries” by Karen Szklany Gault is for those who want to add some edible landscaping to their home. Ms. Gault starts off the book by breaking down geographical regions (Pacific Ocean, Mountains, Southwest, Plains, South Central, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes and New England) and discusses the climate and what types of fruits/berries each region can support. On page 50 she has a guide for planting and harvest seasons where she lists a fruit or berry and next to it when the best time to plant and the best time to harvest are.Ms. Gault also goes in depth on soil conditions and when/how you may need to enrich your current soil. There is also a section about what basic gardening tools you will need. This is a good section that you should carry with you when you go to your gardening store so that you will get what you need. Once you have your tools, then you can go to the chapter about cultivating and planting. The author describes what you need to do to prepare the ground, watering, and other things that will help you have a successful crop. Ms. Gault does a fine job of introducing how to grown fruits and berries. She gives the reader enough information to feel confident about their choices and how successful they will be. I do wish that she had included colored pictures such as the ones in Back to Basics “The Complete Guide to Growing Healing and Medicinal Herbs”. But that is a minor disappointment compared to the rest of the material in the book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Considering the buzz that our earth is being depleted on a daily basis and the food shortages are bound to happen this is a good opportunity to start growing some of our own foods. It doesn't take much room to plant a fruit tree or a patch of berries but it does take some knowledge and gentle care.Karen Szklany Gault has given us the opportunity to start our own gardens and "grow local." In the beginning of the book she explains the regions and what plants are conducive to those areas. I was specifically interested in container growing because of the soil conditions in the part of Texas we live in and our property laden with huge trees. I did find that I can still grow berries and fruits regardless of those conditions.This book is a great resource for a beginner. It covers soil conditions and supplementation, pollution, cultivation, planting, pests, diseases, and harvesting. Gault also includes some great looking recipes to use with our rewards. She also provides resources if you aren't able to get some of the items you need locally.I recommend this book for those that want to learn more about growing their own fruits and berries or those that have embarked on this thought and need additional information. You will not only be led through the process but you will gain an abundance of knowledge.
Book preview
The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruits and Berries Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply - Karen Szklany Gault
GAR005000
GARDENING / Fruit
$24.95
Gault
GAR000000
GARDENING / General
L316
GAR018000
GARDENING / Reference
Many of the fruits and berries in your refrigerator have roots in countries outside the United States, but some, such as blueberries, are native to the United States and Canada. Those same fruits and berries are exported to your local grocer, but you could be the one doing the growing in your personal garden. Homegrown fruits are most often much healthier than store bought produce, which lack important nutrients. Not only are these foods easy to grow, but also they hold key ingredients that are a vital part of staying healthy and in some cases alive. For example, research has shown that blueberry extracts were proven to reverse the common signs of aging. Other homegrown berries, such as crushed Alpine strawberries, are natural bleaches for stained teeth, liver spots, and skin blemishes. However, many fruits Everything Y
The Complete Guide to Growing Y
and berries are difficult to grow without the proper soil, weather, and care.
FRUITS AND BERRIES
The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruits and Berries: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply will lead you through the process of starting your own garden of fresh fruits and berries simply. This extensive tool will teach you easy step-by-step methods for planting, harvesting ou Need to Know Explained Simply
and caring for your berry bushes, shrubs, and fruit trees. Author and long-time gardener, Karen Szklany Gault, will direct you through your journey with personal anecdotes and case studies from other gardeners and leading professionals, as she provides easy-to-follow tips for mishaps and harvesting the most perfect, personally grown fruits. This book will completely explain the preparation and maintenance that each fruit or berry requires, from pruning and picking, to preserving a pest-free environment around your plants. Furthermore, Gault provides you with reader-friendly tables of exact measurements for planting conditions, including certain fruits and berries that thrive in particular regions, sunlight exposures, and soil mixtures. From the simplest fruit tree to the most fickle berry bush, this book will be your guide to a vibrant garden for years to come.
our Own
Top gardening professionals around the
country have contributed their own tips
and tricks for effective growing of your new
fruit trees and berry bushes. We’ve spent
hours compiling this essential information
just for you, the at-home gardener. Whether
you are just beginning or you are a seasoned
gardening veteran, this simple,
instructional guide will engage
you with fun facts and stories,
leaving you ready to get your
hands dirty. With this book,
any prospective gardener can
start enjoying the sweet fruits of
their labor.
photo by Martin Miller
Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
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The CompleTe Guide To
GrowinG Your own
FruiTs and Berries
everything You need to
Know explained simply
By Karen Szklany Gault
The CompleTe Guide To GrowinG Your own
FruiTs and Berries: everYThinG You need
To Know explained simplY
Copyright © 2011 Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.
1405 SW 6th Avenue • Ocala, Florida 34471 • Phone 800-814-1132 • Fax 352-622-1875
Web site: www.atlantic-pub.com • E-mail: [email protected] SAN Number: 268-1250
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be sent to Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc., 1405 SW 6th Avenue, Ocala, Florida 34471.
Gault, Karen Szklany.
The complete guide to growing your own fruits and berries : everything you need to know explained simply / by: Karen Szklany Gault.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-348-8
ISBN-10: 1-60138-348-7
1. Fruit--United States. 2. Berries--United States. I. Title.
SB354.8.G38 2010
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2010032490
LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Web site is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Web site may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Web sites listed in this work may have changed or disappeared between when this work was written and when it is read.
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PEER REVIEWER: Marilee Griffin
EDITOR: Nicole Orr
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FRONT COVER DESIGN: Meg Buchner • [email protected]
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The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruits and Berries TrademarK disClaimer
All trademarks, trade names, or logos mentioned or used are the property of their respective owners and are used only to directly describe the products being provided. Every effort has been made to properly capitalize, punctuate, identify, and attribute trademarks and trade names to their respective owners, including the use of ® and ™ wherever possible and practical. Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc. is not a partner, affiliate, or licensee with the holders of said trademarks.
Table Of Contents
5
aCKnowledGmenTs
There is a large crowd of people to thank for this book becoming a physical reality.
The very first person is my supportive editor, Nicole Orr of Atlantic Publishing Group, who knew I had it in me and kept me going with generous helpings of encouragement. She believed in my ability to carry through to fruition a unique and complete guide to growing your own fruits and berries. Ben Stearns took on editing the final revisions of the book and also deserves my appreciation for his eleventh-hour support. Meg Buchner and her layout team worked their magic to make the book beautiful and ready to print. My husband Edward held down the fort and prepared his share of family dinners, and my daughter Cosette drew lots of lovely pictures for me as I worked at the computer around the clock, wrestling all these words about gardening onto the following pages. My case study contributors shared generously with me their wealth of gardening-related wisdom, hands-on demonstrations, and photographs: Steen Bentzen, Carla Montague, Bill Murphy, Ralph Chick
Papile, Ken Porter, Becky Pulito of Camelot Cohousing, Jeff Richards, Yvonne Scott, Connie Stanfield, and Roger Swain. Others who contributed photographs, resource referrals, and hands-on help include Beezy Bentzen, Christina Buajila, Mariama Congo, Sarah Florreich, Edward S. Gault, Matthew Higgins, Lucia Papile, Sarah Twichell, and Matt Waugh. Sukey Price, the librarian at Tower Hill Botanical Garden, helped me find some key sources for my research and kept renewing them for as long as I needed them. Finally, no author stands alone, without the help of community, and I am no exception. All my writing companions at the Boston Public Library have become like family to me and deserve my deepest appreciation for all their inspiration and support along the path to my becoming a published author: Alistair Allen, Ann Crotty, Helena Findeisen, Janet Getchall, Andrea Lyon, Fran Majusky, Melita Nasca, Rob Russell, Wayne Soini and Nancy Winter. Other supportive communities that have contributed to the energy and faith it has taken to complete this monumental project include the Bagel Bards, Paulist Center (Catholic) Community, Open Bark Poetry, Out of the Blue Art Gallery, Stone Soup Poetry, Summer Acoustic Music Week community, and John Dillon’s online 20/20 Creativity Practice group. Finally, I am deeply grateful to all my neighbors at Mosaic Commons cohousing community in Berlin, Massachusetts (www.mosaic-commons.org), who have offered a deep well of ongoing support and patience throughout all the stages of writing this book. It is a community of heart and soul, my home, and the place I am able to do the work of growing my own fruits and berries.
6
The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruits and Berries dediCaTion
This book is dedicated to my grandmother, Lucy Rose Szklany, who cultivated my lifelong love of gardening, and to my grandfather, Albin A.
Szklany Sr., who always picked the first tomato of the season and washed it with the garden hose just for me.
TaBle oF ConTenTs
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................13
Chapter.1:.Types.of.Fruits.and.Berries....................................17
Fruits and Berries Across the Country ............................................17
Geographical Regions of the United States .....................................19
Pacific Ocean ................................................................................................ 22
Mountains .................................................................................................... 25
Southwest ..................................................................................................... 26
Plains ........................................................................................................... 28
South Central................................................................................................ 29
Southeast ...................................................................................................... 30
Mid-Atlantic ................................................................................................. 31
Great Lakes ................................................................................................... 32
New England ................................................................................................ 34
Chapter.2:.What.Types.of.Fruits.and.Berries..
Should.I.Grow?........................................................37
Things to Consider ........................................................................40
Topography — lay of the land and soil erosion ................................................. 40
Soil quality ................................................................................................... 41
Moisture ....................................................................................................... 42
Climate that supports certain fruits and berries ............................................... 43
Sunlight and shade — what is available for growing ....................................... 44
Pollination opportunities for growth and fruiting success .................................. 45
Available space — how much of each fruit can be planted ................................ 47
Disease and insect resistance — the survival of fruits and berries ...................... 48
8
The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruits and Berries Underground structural obstacles .................................................................... 49
Best Seasons ...................................................................................49
Planting seasons ............................................................................................ 51
Harvesting .................................................................................................... 51
Some Final Notes about Personal Preference ...................................53
Chapter.3:.Soil.Texture,.Quality,.and.Enrichment..................57
Soil Testing .....................................................................................58
Acid vs. Alkaline .............................................................................60
Types of Soil ...................................................................................62
Sandy soil ..................................................................................................... 64
Gravelly Soil ................................................................................................. 65
Silty soil ........................................................................................................ 65
Clay soil ........................................................................................................ 66
Chalky soil .................................................................................................... 66
Peaty soil ....................................................................................................... 67
Loamy Soil .................................................................................................... 67
Creating Organic Soil with Worms.................................................68
Why use worms? ............................................................................................ 68
Where to find the worms ................................................................................ 69
Where to keep the worms................................................................................ 70
Furnishing a home for the worms ................................................................... 70
Care of the worms ......................................................................................... 71
Case Study: A Bin of Worms Named Steve
.................................................... 72
Feeding Your Soil ..........................................................................74
Mulch materials for fertile soil ........................................................................ 74
Manures ....................................................................................................... 79
Compost ....................................................................................................... 79
Natural soil composition ................................................................................ 82
Layering of soil with mulch materials.............................................................. 85
Case Study: Down and Dirty Methods for
Making Garden Soil Fertile ........................................................................... 86
Chapter.4:.Basic.Gardening.Tools.You.Will.Need...................89
Description of Tools .......................................................................89
Table Of Contents
9
Clothing ....................................................................................................... 90
Mapping the garden ...................................................................................... 92
Digging and soil preparation .......................................................................... 94
Moving rocks and large piles of earth .............................................................. 96
Sowing and planting ..................................................................................... 97
Containers .................................................................................................... 98
Pruning ...................................................................................................... 103
Protection from pests and diseases .................................................................. 106
Harvesting equipment.................................................................................. 106
Care and Maintenance of Gardening Tools
for the Winter Months .................................................................107
Chapter.5:.Pollination.............................................................109
Anatomy of a Fruit Flower ...........................................................112
Self-Pollinating Plants ..................................................................113
Cross-Pollinating Plants ...............................................................114
Artificial Pollination .....................................................................115
Keeping Bees ................................................................................118
Chapter.6:.Cultivation.and.Planting......................................123
Grafting .......................................................................................125
Planting Tree Fruits ......................................................................127
Planting Citrus Fruits ...................................................................132
Planting Melons ...........................................................................137
Planting Brambles ........................................................................140
Steps to take before planting ......................................................................... 141
Discerning the best brambleberry to grow ...................................................... 142
Preparing to transplant brambles .................................................................. 143
Digging the holes for brambles ...................................................................... 143
Completing the planting process .................................................................... 145
Planting Bush Berries ...................................................................145
Blueberries .................................................................................................. 147
Other bush berries ....................................................................................... 151
Planting Strawberries ....................................................................154
Sunlight ..................................................................................................... 155
10 The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruits and Berries Soil............................................................................................................. 156
Runner production and spacing .................................................................... 156
Planting ..................................................................................................... 158
Planting Grape Vines ...................................................................161
Location ..................................................................................................... 162
Preparing the soil ......................................................................................... 163
Planting the grape vines ............................................................................... 163
Trellis design ............................................................................................... 165
Vine training systems ................................................................................... 168
Planting Kiwifruit ........................................................................169
Planting Rhubarb .........................................................................172
Chapter.7:..Container.Gardening.and..
Greenhouse.Growing...........................................177
Container Gardening ...................................................................178
Types of containers and what they are used for ............................................... 180
Container planting ...................................................................................... 183
Sources for obtaining containers .................................................................... 184
Spaces to put the containers .......................................................................... 184
Case Study: Outrageous Gardening with Recycled Materials ........................... 186
Greenhouse Growing....................................................................187
Greenhouse design and construction .............................................................. 189
Heating equipment ...................................................................................... 191
Fruits and berries that are grown in a greenhouse .......................................... 192
Case Study: Raising Tomatoes from Seedlings in Greenhouses .......................... 193
Chapter.8:.Ongoing.Care.......................................................197
General Care ................................................................................197
Sunlight ...................................................................................................... 198
Watering ..................................................................................................... 198
Fertilizing ................................................................................................... 199
Weeding ...................................................................................................... 199
Pruning ...................................................................................................... 200
Case Study: Caring for Fruit Trees and Berry Bushes as a Labor of Love ....................................................................................... 204
Low-Temperature Climate Care ...................................................205
Table Of Contents
11
Dormancy ................................................................................................... 206
Protection from frost .................................................................................... 207
Chapter.9:.Pests.and.Diseases................................................211
Purchasing Healthy Cultivars .......................................................211
Pests .............................................................................................212
Aphids ........................................................................................................ 214
Borers ......................................................................................................... 216
Caspid bugs................................................................................................. 217
Caterpillars ................................................................................................. 218
Curculio ..................................................................................................... 219
Grubs ......................................................................................................... 219
Maggots ...................................................................................................... 220
Mealybugs ................................................................................................... 221
Repelling mealybugs ..................................................................................... 221
Mites .......................................................................................................... 222
Moths ......................................................................................................... 223
Nematodes .................................................................................................. 224
Pear psylla................................................................................................... 225
Scale insects ................................................................................................. 225
Slugs ........................................................................................................... 226
Suckers ....................................................................................................... 227
Wasps ......................................................................................................... 227
Worms ........................................................................................................ 228
General long-term pest protection.................................................................. 229
Barriers for keeping out furry scavengers ........................................................ 230
Diseases ........................................................................................230
Common causes ........................................................................................... 230
Common types of diseases ............................................................................. 232
Examples of common fruit plant diseases ....................................................... 233
Chapter.10:..Enjoying.the.Feast.—..
Harvesting.and.Storing.Your.Fruit....................241
The Right Time for Harvesting Tree Fruit and Berries ..................241
Problems with harvesting too early ................................................................ 242
Problems with harvesting too late ................................................................. 243
12 The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruits and Berries Methods for picking fruits and berries ..........................................244
The best way to pick each type of fruit ........................................................... 244
CaseStudy: Harvesting, Baking, and Preserving Rabbiteye Blueberries in North Carolina ..................................................................................................... 245
Eat, Drink, and Save Some for Later ............................................250
Appendix.A:..Resources.for.Finding..
Garden.Tools.and.Supplies................................251
Appendix.B:.Recipes................................................................263
Apple Salsa (Matt Higgins) ...........................................................263
Blueberry Squares (Connie Stanfield) ...........................................264
Classic Spanish Sparkling Sangría .................................................264
Fruit Shakes .................................................................................265
Honey Madelines (a nod to the bees) ...........................................266
Hot Apple Soup ...........................................................................267
Lemon Mousse .............................................................................269
Raspberry Fool .............................................................................270
Strawberries in Cream ..................................................................271
Apple Pie ......................................................................................272
Four Berry Fruit Cobbler .............................................................273
Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon Sugar Butter ...............................274
Easy Triple Fruit Jam ....................................................................275
French Cream Fruit Dip ...............................................................276
Appendix.C:..List.of.Scientific.Names..
of.Fruits.and.Berries.........................................277
Glossary....................................................................................279
Author.Biography....................................................................283
Index.........................................................................................285
inTroduCTion
ever since I was a little girl, I have loved to dig in the earth. I loved to kneel in the grass to plant the seeds, water the growing plants with our garden hose, and pick the food that I grew. My grandmother had the original green thumb of the family, and gardening was one of my favorite things to do with her. I dug, weeded, pruned, and watered with her weekly. When the time was right for harvesting, the peaches smelled and tasted like the sun that kissed them. The raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries melted in my mouth. The peaches made a scrumptious snack at any time of a summer day. The berries made it into salads — if they made it into the kitchen at all. Sometimes, I was able to wait long enough to eat them topped with fresh whipped cream. The memory of how strawberries taste dipped in chocolate has inspired me to try growing them, too. The scent of Concord grapes is downright intoxicating to me, and the generosity of one former employer who let me pick them from the courtyard trellises inspires me to make plans for building my own small arbor.
Are there any gardening memories from your childhood that linger and make you smile? They may be the biggest inspiration for trying to turn a plot of land close to your home into a garden of fresh fruit to pick and eat.
You may know children who would delight in helping you plant, nurture, and pick fresh fruit. Your senses may already anticipate the smell and taste of delicious salads, pies, jams, mousses, and salsas that you can make from
14 The Complete Guide to Growing Your Own Fruits and Berries them. I have written this book to share with you my passion for growing fruits and berries, and to give you the information you need to make your own gardening dreams come true.
Some of the classifications for the food you eat might surprise you. One example is that nuts are considered a tree fruit by some botanists. Grapes are considered berries. This book is full of delicious details that will light the fire of your deepest, earthiest side. Dig down and decide which fruits and berries are truly your favorites. Which ones give you the most pleasure to taste? Which ones do you dream of walking outside to pick and take that first juicy bite of? Then, decide which patch of land outside your door is the sunniest and start planning where to put them in that sacred plot of earth.
Once you determine which fruits you are yearning to grow first, it is time to measure the plot of land you have designated as your fruit garden. This includes determining what architectural features of your home and yard space you will adorn with fruit, such as porches, patios backyard space, and front yard space. If you live in the city, you will need to use your yard space differently, or adorn a balcony or a window box instead of a yard, porch, or patio. If the latter is true, it is possible that there are community gardening spaces for you to rent or barter with neighbors for. Perhaps there is an elderly neighbor who would take delight in your gardening efforts. There may also be a neighborhood gardening club that you might like to join.
There is nothing like a sense of community to keep you going, even if you prefer to be a lone gardener who enjoys the plants themselves as company most of the time. If there is no soil that is healthy enough for planting directly into, you can create raised beds or grow some of your fruits in a variety of containers, or both. No matter what you have at your fingertips, or feet, you will be able to transform that place into a garden that brings you peace, happiness, and a mouthful of sweetness.
Introduction
15
In order to complete all the gardening tasks involved, you will need to know which tools to use and at which stage you will first need them. Chapter 4
gives you this information and offers suggestions for places to obtain those tools and how to take good care of them. In addition to my sun hat and gardening gloves, my favorite tools are the trowel and hand