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| Photo Credit: Felder Rushing |
| Imagine picking ripe raspberries from your own back yard instead of at the grocery! |
Fruit trees and small fruit bushes offer years of healthy, delightful harvest. The hardest part about growing them may be selecting which variety to plant. Fortunately, from heirlooms to new genetics with regional specificity, you're sure to find the right one for you and your location. (And, of course, remember that taste is a key consideration!)
We all know that fruit is good for us, and many know that we should be eating 4-5 servings of it every day. But let's face it: It's not always that easy. Personally, the price of fresh fruit in the grocery store scares me away, and I'm leery of the "health benefits" I get from eating canned fruit floating in syrup. Frozen fruits are great because all the nutrients are preserved (and they're generally free of sugary additives), but there's just something missing from the texture and taste of thawed fruit. So I've decided I'm ready to try growing my own. (Won't you join me?) Of course, there are limitations to what fruits I can grow. Since I live in Zone 7, I'll have to keep getting my citrus from Florida, but there are other tree fruits and "small fruits" (like berries) that'll do just fine in my landscape. There are quite a few site-specific, plant-specific and gardener-specific considerations to be made prior to purchasing any fruit tree, bush or vine. You might ask your neighbors what varieties they grow (if any), or check with your local Cooperative Extension service to see what kinds are recommended for your area.
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