Grow Fruit Naturally: A Hands-On Guide to Luscious, Home-Grown Fruit

by Lee Reich

Overview

Take your pick: apples, pears, peaches, blueberries? For health- and money-conscious consumers, homegrown edibles are the way to go. While vegetable gardening has been the hot trend, fruit growing is now taking a bite out of the market. This timely and comprehensive book, Grow Fruit Naturally , from gardening expert Lee Reich shows the way to successfully grow fruits that are delicious and nutritious, with information on over 30 fruits and how to reap the most of their bounty. Covering all topics from planning and planting to pruning and harvesting, this essential reference also discusses natural pest-control and fertilization methods, pollination, irrigation, and special techniques such as espalier and growing fruit in containers.

A handy, encyclopedic listing of fruits provides in-depth information on individual fruit needs, care, and varieties, with a focus on all-natural growing techniques. With 150 photos and over 50 illustrations, this highly visual guide is the book to pick up to keep your fruit crops thriving.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781600853562
Publisher:	Taunton Press, Incorporated
Publication date:	03/13/2012
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	231,811
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Lee Reich is an author, lecturer, and consultant whose books include "The Pruning Book" and "Weedless Gardening". Reich grows a broad assortment of fruit plants in his own garden, which has been featured in the "New York Times, Organic Gardening", and "Martha Stewart Living".

Table of Contents

PART 1: The Basics
CH. 1 - Planning Your Fruit Garden
CH. 2 - Planting and Growing
CH. 3 - Pruning
CH. 4 - Pests and Diseases
CH. 5 - Harvesting and Storing
 

PART 2: The Fruit
Information for each fruit: An introduction with common name, botanical name, plant size, pollination needs, sun/shade requirements, zones of adaptation, regions with least pest problems
Growing
Planting
Pruning
Pests and Diseases
Varieties
Fruits included: apple, apricot, avocado, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, citrus, currants, elderberry, fig, gooseberry, grapes, jujube, juneberry, kiwifruit, mango, medlar, mulberry, nectarine, papaya, pawpaw, peach, pear, persimmon, pineapple guava, plum, pomegranate, quince, raspberry, seaberry, shipova, strawberry

Appendix 1: USDA Cold Hardiness Zone Map

Appendix 2: American Horticultural Society Heat Zone Map
Mail-order Nursery Sources
Glossary
Index
 

Editorial Reviews

"When I have a question about fruit growing I always go to one of Lee Reich's books. Here's another to add to that great resource." —Eliot Coleman, former Executive Director of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) and organic advisor to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"Lee Reich is truly the Pied Piper of fruit growing. Every page of this book makes you want to tuck yet another fruiting plant into the landscape. And Lee's way of making fruit science simple and clear gives you the confidence to do it."
—Barbara Damrosch, author of "The Garden Primer"

"This is THE book for growing fruit, whether for home use or for the farmer wanting to add profitable diversity to the farm stand. In the true spirit of organic, Lee Reich takes you step-by-step through what, where, and how to grow without toxic sprays — working with, rather than against, nature for a bounty of great-tasting, healthful fruit." —Ron Khosla, Organic Advisor to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN and founder Certified Naturally Grown

From the Publisher