Topic

Fruit

Berries, trees, and vines that pay you back. · 21 guides

Best Soil Acidifier for Blueberries: Sulfur vs. Iron Sulfate

Elemental sulfur, iron sulfate, aluminum sulfate and acidic fertilizer for blueberries compared by speed, rate and risk, with a sulfur chart to reach pH 4.5 to 5.5.

September 10, 2026

Close-up of a potted lemon tree branch with several yellowing leaves among healthy green foliage

Fruit

Yellow Leaves on a Citrus Tree: Causes, Fixes and Recovery

Yellowing citrus leaves on an orange, mandarin, grapefruit or lemon tree: read old vs. new growth and vein color to find the cause, and see when heat-stressed trees recover.

September 10, 2026

Small green apples scattered on the grass beneath a young apple tree in early summer

Fruit

Fruit Tree Dropping Fruit Early? June Drop and Other Causes

June drop is a fruit tree shedding 1/2 to 1 inch fruitlets in early June. Learn to tell it from poor pollination, frost, heat stress and insects, and when to thin.

September 10, 2026

A small cherry tree enclosed in fine mesh netting, with ripening red cherries visible through the net

Buying guide

Fruit

Fruit Tree Netting for Birds: How to Choose Mesh That Works

Choose fruit tree bird netting by mesh size and material, then hang it on a frame and close every gap so cherries and berries stay protected and birds stay unharmed.

September 10, 2026

A blueberry bush heavy with ripening blue and green berries growing in a large dark container on a sunny patio

Fruit

Growing Blueberries in Pots: Acidic Mix, Watering, and Winter Care

Blueberries in pots need a mix at pH 4.5 to 5.5, a container of 10 to 20 gallons, steady moisture and a sheltered winter spot. Mix ratios from three sources.

September 10, 2026

Peach tree branch with thickened, puckered red and green leaves affected by leaf curl

Fruit

Peach Leaf Curl: How to Prevent It Before Bud Break

Peach leaf curl is controlled by one dormant spray of copper or chlorothalonil, after leaf fall or before buds swell. Sprays on curled leaves do not work.

September 10, 2026

A young apple tree in late winter with a straight central leader and evenly spaced side branches, freshly pruned

Fruit

Pruning a Young Apple Tree: Your First Three Years, Cut by Cut

A year-by-year guide to pruning a young apple tree: head the whip at 30 inches, pick 3 to 4 scaffold limbs, and build a central leader in tiers by year three.

September 10, 2026

Buying guide

Fruit

Bare-Root vs. Potted Fruit Trees: Which to Buy

Bare-root fruit trees cost less and catch up to potted ones, but must go in while dormant. Compare planting windows, root problems and planting steps.

July 9, 2026

Ripe purple and green figs hanging on a leafy fig tree branch in a home garden

Buying guide

Fruit

Cold Hardy Fig Trees: Best Varieties and How Cold They Take

Which cold hardy fig varieties survive northern winters, the temperatures that damage fig wood, and how to wrap, mulch or store a fig tree until spring.

July 9, 2026

Rows of ripe red raspberries growing on canes in a small backyard garden patch

Buying guide

Fruit

Raspberry Varieties: 20 Types Compared for Home Gardens

Raspberry varieties compared by fruiting type, color, hardiness zone and ripening order, with primocane and summer-bearing picks for cold, hot and small gardens.

July 9, 2026

Rows of ripe blackberries growing on a thornless hedge trained along a wire trellis

Buying guide

Fruit

Best Thornless Blackberry Varieties for a Hedge Guide

Erect thornless blackberries such as Ouachita, Navaho and Osage make the simplest fruiting hedge. Compare nine varieties by habit, season, spacing and support.

July 9, 2026

Peach on the tree showing brown rot with soft brown spots and fuzzy gray-brown spore growth

Fruit

Brown Rot on Fruit Trees: Prevention and Treatment Guide

Brown rot can decay a ripe peach in 2 days. Learn the signs on blossoms, twigs and fruit, what to remove and when, and how extension services time fungicide sprays.

July 9, 2026