Fruit Gardens

by Marie Hofer, Gardening editor, HGTV.com

When you're looking for freshness, succulence and sweetness in fruit, homegrown comes out on top. Even if there are a few blemishes and bugs to cope with, there's no describing the difference in taste between a fruit just plucked in the garden and one that's been languishing in the produce section or the fruit stand. If you want to add more fresh fruit to your family's diet, growing it at home can be the perfect answer. So while you're pondering just where you'll put that new fruit tree, consider these tips:

Very tart, calamondin fruits are primarily used in beverages, salads, marmalades and sauces as well as to season seafood, meats and iced tea.

Imagine the possibilities. If tried-and-true varieties don't appeal to you, how about trying something a little different?

Persimmon Perspective
Learning About Bloom Time
New Takes on Old Fruits
Fruit Trees: Citrus, Peach and Plum
Citrus: Expanding the Boundaries
Apple Orchard
A Fruitful Bounty
Bramble Fruits
Bush Fruits and Berries
Strawberries!
Citrus Basics

Think small. Special planting techniques and dwarf varieties can give you plenty of options.

Peaches by the Patio
Container Fruit Trees

The important thing to remember for all citrus trees is to remove any suckers that grow below the graft union.

Plant it right. What's old is old, at least when it comes to planting. The old adage advises amending the soil in the planting hole. Now that advice is out, because creating a wonderful environment for the root ball doesn't exactly encourage the roots to venture out. Here's more great advice:

Roots and Fruits
Planting Fruit Trees
Tips for Planting Trees in Fall
New Advances in Planting

Fruit, Indoors

How to Select Fruit Trees
Growing Fruit Trees Indoors
Indoor Strawberries

Moving the pollen around an open blossom with a small paintbrush will help produce more fruit. Click here for this and other tips for growing fruit trees indoors.

The unusual star-shaped fruit of Buddha's hand, or fingered citron, makes a wonderful conversation piece. Click here for more tips on selecting fruit trees for indoors.

Even if you don't live in Florida or California, you can still grow luscious citrus, and you can even try unusual varieties.

More great ideas

Grafting
The Art of Espalier
Hard Cider
Practical Espalier
Pruning 101
Pollination Facts
Fruit-Tree Basics
Subtropical Fruits
Thompson Seedless
A Grape Arbor

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