Gardening Basics

Fruit trees are broadleaf and usually deciduous, meaning they lose their leaves annually in the fall. Knowing what types of fruit trees occur naturally will narrow the list of possibilities when...

Crab grass is a type of weed that spreads into lawns. It looks different from your ordinary grass and can spread easily from one place to another. Crab grass preventer is usually a chemical spray...

If you have a pear tree, you may look at the fruit-growing season as either a blessing or a menace. Although pears can be eaten raw or made into pies, jams or jellies, pear trees produce heavy...

The art and science of growing your own food extends your own budget as well as supplying your family with wholesome produce all year round. Muscadines, also known as Scuppernongs, are a hardy and...

Whether you want a nice cold glass of juice each morning, or just a bold splash of color in your yard, the Republic of Texas Orange Tree is perfect. This thorny tree is known throughout Texas for...

Fruit is delicious and yummy! Fruit can be expensive. Why not try growing a variety of different fruits in your own backyard? It's easy, fun, economical and healthy for you and your family. ...

There are few garden features more charming and inviting than a grape arbor covered with lush foliage and laden with ripe fruit. Careful pruning of a grape arbor is essential from the very...

Podosphaera leucotricha is the fungus that causes mildew on apples and apple trees. The fungus can affect all parts of the apple tree from stem and leaves to shoots and fruit. Fruit that has been...

Banana plants, or banana trees, as they are more commonly called, produce some of the tastiest fruit. With the right climate and soil conditions, watching a banana plant mature is fascinating....

If you want to take advantage of the benefits of growing your own fruit, but you prefer not to wait for a tree to be fruitful, buying a blueberry bush is a great option. These compact bushes...

Having an apple tree, whether it be single or an orchard, can bring delight during each harvest. To keep the tree(s) healthy as well as have a high yield of fruit, you need to give it attention...

Few things are as simply satisfying as picking fruit from your very own tree. Most commercial fruit is grown from cuttings and hybrids, so if you start a fruit tree from seed, you may not get the...

Fruit trees offer atmosphere and foliage for your lawn, and they provide scrumptious fruit for your family. By growing your own fruit, you will save money on your grocery bills. You'll also know...

Tomatoes, like most plants, require specific growing conditions. Knowing the correctly light source can help you grow tomatoes indoors. Even if you plan to grow tomatoes outside, it is crucial to...

Fruit tree mulching is an easy and important practice for keeping your trees healthy year after year. Any fruit tree will benefit from the application of a good mulch as long as a few key points...

Citrus trees are flowering, warm-weather plants that produce tart, edible fruits such as oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit and kumquats. Citrus fruit trees are popular garden trees because of...

Espalier gardening occurs when a plant is trained to grow in a pattern against a flat surface. It is striking when flowering plants are trained and even more spectacular when fruit trees are...

A freeze warning is issued for your area and you are concerned with losing your decorative plants and shrubs. You have seen fruit growers water trees during a freeze to protect them and wonder if...

The cold, northern reaches of the United States are not known for fruit production, but a surprising number of fruit trees can be grown there. Many fruit trees require a cold winter to produce...

Fruit trees have special nutritional requirements depending on age, size, type of tree and what nutrients are already present in the soil where your fruit trees are planted. Determining what your...

The Olive tree originated from Africa and holds a special place in human history for over 8000 years in its native region of the Mediterranean Basin. The Olive tree survives and thrives where...

San Mateo County has three climate zones, with the inland areas, including Portola Valley, most conducive to fruit tree growth. In the coastal regions of South San Francisco and Daly City, too...

Want to grow a blueberry bush at home? Growing blueberries can be tough. Blueberry bushes are extremely fussy when it comes to the soil they are planted in. Blueberry bushes can make a great...

Everbearing strawberries don't really produce fruit year-round, but they do produce fruit in the spring and early autumn. The twice-year production gives you two opportunities to enjoy fresh,...

While most fruit is grown on trees, there are a variety of bushes---all perennials---that produce fruit suitable for human consumption. The majority of the fruit produced by bushes fall into the...

Some are cultivated for their sweet or tart fruit, and some are prized for their delicate pink or white flowers, but all cherry trees add visual interest to landscapes with their colorful blooms,...

Fresh cantaloupe are a wonderful, sweet fruit that many of us like to enjoy. Unfortunately, some times you get home and cut open your cantaloupe to find it is not ripe or spoiled. With a few...

According to Sunset Magazine, the family of pear trees (genus Pyrus) is broad, including trees cultivated mainly for fruit and others mainly for the masses of white flowers they produce in late...

Edible landscaping merges beauty with functionality. It uses the design principles of traditional landscaping to integrate food plants within a decorative setting. The techniques of edible...

A lemon tree in your backyard provides shade, a great mixture of deep greens with yellow, fruit for homemade lemonade and great smells when fruit begins to ripen. Growing a lemon tree requires the...

If you've always dreamed of growing fruit trees, choosing dwarf varieties can make having a small home orchard much more realistic. But these varieties need the same attention to basic garden...

Blackberries are luscious additions for breakfast pancakes and cereals as well as for muffins, jellies and jams. They're also great for snacking. The bushes are easy to grow and can thrive in...

Frost can damage to plants of all types. However, they seem to hit certain fruit tree crops harder, because the fruit is developing around the same time as the frost season begins in the fall....

Nitrogen is essential to plant growth. It is a basic nutrient found in healthy soils, and plants draw in nitrogen through their roots. For plants to use the nitrogen found in soil, nitrogen is...

Gardeners have been planting more edible plants in recent years, but at the same time, yards are getting smaller. The best fruit trees to use in small spaces are dwarf varieties. By using...

Growing your own fruit can bring an unexpected joy in this world of mass-produced, pre-packaged foods. Unfortunately, the romantic beauty of a fruit tree bearing its produce year after year will...

Pomegranate trees grow to heights of 20 feet or more at maturity for the full-sized varieties. They produce large, rounded fruit with a leathery green skin that turns red when ripe. The skin is...

The olive is one of the core agricultural products of the Mediterranean diet, along with grain and the grape. The tree, its fruit and the oil derived from it have achieved iconic status in Western...

Trimming and pruning fruit trees during spring gardening stimulates the tree and opens up space in the middle to grow. Farm and care for plants correctly and safely with these spring gardening...

Fruit trees are some of the most versatile plants you can use in your garden. They give back in so many ways. Here are some tips on how to get the best from your fruit trees.

The joy of having fruit trees is not only the showy flowers in the springtime, but the healthy, flavorful food produced during the growing season. Unfortunately, people aren't the only ones who...

Pruning your fruit tree is essential for prime growth. If you want your trees branches to grow correctly and bear the weight of fruit there are some simple steps you need to follow. These trees...

Most of us fill our yards with stretches of grass and some shade trees. Planting bushes and trees that produce berries, fruit and nuts can be attractive as well as put fresh food on your table. ...

Oranges are a great addition to any gardener's collection of fruits and vegetables. The sweet fruit can be eaten raw, candied, or even cooked for use in meat dishes. In good weather conditions,...

Often times it's difficult for beginners to successfully start a new vegetable or fruit garden. Below are some effective tops on starting your own successful fruit or vegetable garden.

Strawberries are excellent for the home garden. They produce fruit quickly and require a relatively small space. 25 plants will produce enough fruit for the average family.

When President Reagan designated the rose as the American national flower in 1986, he picked a winner. Roses grow all over the U.S. Indeed, roses grow everywhere in the temperate areas of the...

As prices at the grocery store soar you can get free exercise and maybe even make a little money while you are at it by growing your own food. If nothing else, you will save money and get better...

Pruning an orange tree is done in the fall after it is finished producing fruit for the season, and trimming away the light-colored branches near the top and middle of the tree will encourage more...

Trimming fruit trees requires thinning out the topmost branches to create a bowl or vase-shaped tree, which allows the sun to hit the innermost branches for more fruit production. Trim fruit trees...