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Best fruit tree and berry bush varieties for beginner #753025
Asked May 31, 2021, 8:07 AM EDT
Hello,
We are beginning gardeners and would like to grow some fruit trees and berry bushes in our yard/backyard. We live in the Cleveland area. Could you please recommend a few varieties of each of the following fruits grow like crazy that also taste good for fresh eating and with few problems? I have listed a few that we are interested in, but don't want to grow them if they are difficult to grow. We are open to suggestions!
1. apples - honeycrisp, granny smith, pixie crush, braeburn, Cox's Orange Pippin... (any other very crunchy, sweet/tart, and juicy types?)
2. plums - green gage, mirabelle, victoria, Reine Claude Doree...(any other sweet, juicy, thin skinned types?)
3. pears- comice, sekel... (any other soft and sweet, not crunchy or grainy types?)
4. cherries ?
5.nuts -walnuts, hazelnuts...?
6. persimmon -the soft ones...?
7. grapes ?
8. kiwi ?
9. berries ?
Thank you!
Cuyahoga County Ohio
Expert Response
Hi Sheila,
Thank you for your gardening question. I will do my best to get you started in the right direction. You are in zone 6 when looking at plants. You will also want to make sure that you have full sun exposure for the fruit trees,shrubs and plants this is 6-8 hours of sunlight. Good drainage is important. Most fruit trees will grow well in fertile soil with a ph 6.0-7.5. Dwarf varieties are easier to maintain and harvest from, but will need to be staked. Apples and pears require cross pollination to set fruit. This means more than 1 tree. Plums, cherries can be self fruited or need cross pollination. So selection is important based on your site and expectation. Before I throw a lot of information at you beyond this, this sounds like a large piece of property and a lot of plants. Are you planning on producing for commercial use :farmers markets etc or just for personal use? Please reply back to me and I will try to lead you in the right direction
Hi Kim, Thanks for your quick reply. We are moving soon to a property with 2 acres to grow on, and are planning on producing for our family. I'm excited to finally have a garden! Ideally, we would grow organic. I'd like to put in 8-10 trees. I'm also interested in nut trees, could you also recommend a good variety of hazelnuts, almonds, and walnuts? Also, is there a good yellow peach, round and/or flat that can survive these winters? Thank you, Sheila On 6/3/21, Ask Extension <askextension> wrote: ></askextension>
Hi Sheila,
Congratulations on your new home and best wishes on your gardening adventures. I am going to include links that will help you make your selection, information on how to grow, prepare for planting etc.
Peaches https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-1406
Regarding growing nuts here is a good article about growing nuts in Ohio and also a link to the Ohio Nut Association.
https://ofbf.org/2016/01/13/going-nuts-nuts-a-plenty-in-central-ohio/
https://www.onga.org/ This would also be a good source for where to purchase varieties that work in your area.
https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-1421
Here is a link for your local extension office. Many times they will have classes that you may find helpful and interesting for example it looks like they are having a class on food preservation on June 15. https://cuyahoga.osu.edu/home
Hi Kim, Thanks so much! This is just the information I was looking for. Sheila On 6/5/21, Ask Extension <askextension> wrote: ></askextension>
