Let me be clear -- growing fruit can be a challenge. But the same can be said of everything from asparagus to zucchini, right? It’s the reward that makes it so worthwhile, whether it’s biting into a sweet, slightly tart homegrown apple, or a peach so juicy you need a bib, or a handful of fat, fresh-picked blueberries.

Besides, not all fruits pose a challenge. Figs, for example, are pretty darn easy to grow. So are blueberries. Among tree fruits, pears (my favorite) are great for beginners because they have very few pest and disease problems (other than squirrels!) and because they’re harvested when unripe and allowed to ripen slowly indoors.

And nearly all fruit trees and bushes can -- and I think should -- be planted this time of year.

Be advised that most tree fruits will take up to three years, and as long as five years, to reach maturity and begin producing fruit. That’s reason enough to plant now!

Apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, pears, plums, and nectarines are the most popular tree fruits for backyard gardeners. Nearly all are sold as semi-dwarf, meaning they grow to about 12 to 15-feet tall and wide. Columnar fruit trees -- especially apples -- are extremely narrow by comparison, making them ideal for growing in containers. And if you want to create a spectacular display, try your hand at espalier, a method of pruning that results in strong horizontal branching. Apples and pears work best.

Blueberries are the classic shrub fruit, but nowadays you can find shrub forms of blackberries and raspberries. And don’t forget figs. They tend to grow much larger -- over 20 feet in some cases -- but you can prune them aggressively to keep them at six to eight feet, making them ideal for containers.

Blackberries and raspberries are the most popular cane fruits, and they grow well here. They do require routine pruning, and some grow long canes requiring some form of trellis for support. Grapes are vining fruits, and they too grow well here. They also require routine pruning and a trellis for support.

Lemons and limes are fairly easy to grow in containers, although you’ll need to move them indoors before temperatures drop below 40 degrees. And the scent of their flowers is fantastic. Give them a sunny spot, don’t overwater, and apply fertilizer once a month during the growing season. Meyer Lemon is a great choice for beginners and experts alike.

Strawberries are great fruit for the backyard garden or containers, though plants aren’t available until early spring. And let’s not forget cantaloupe and watermelon, which can be planted from seed or transplants once the weather warms -- usually by mid to late April.

There are pollinators. And then there are pollinizers. So when you hear someone say that an apple needs a pollinator, what they really mean is that it needs a pollinizer, specifically a different variety of the same plant -- and one that blooms at the same time -- for both to produce fruit. Of course, both do indeed need pollinators, bees in particular, for the physical exchange of pollen from one plant to the other.

Or said another, much simpler way, it sometimes, but not always, takes two to tango.

Fruits that require a pollinizer include all apples, most sweet cherries (other than ‘Lapins’ and ‘Stella’), and all pears (‘Kieffer’ is said to be self-fertile, but in my experience it is not dependably so).

Fruits that are self-fertile and therefore don’t need a pollinizer include apricots, blueberries, figs, grapes, sour cherries, nearly all peaches, nectarines, and most plums. 
 
But even some fruits that are self-fertile and don’t require a pollinizer will produce a more bountiful crop when you plant a pollinizer nearby. That’s especially true of blueberries.

I’ll readily admit that growing certain kinds of fruit -- apples and peaches, for example -- can be more of a challenge to grow, because there are a number of pests and diseases to contend with. But there are also a number of products on the market, both organic and synthetic, that do an excellent job of controlling them. In most cases, timing is everything, meaning that you need to spray according to a fairly specific schedule, but it’s not a difficult task. Try Bonide’s Orchard Spray or Citrus, Fruit, and Nut Orchard Spray, or talk to the folks in the Solution Center to determine which product is right for you.

Throughout my career, I’ve visited lots of growers, but the most memorable visit of all was in Boring, Oregon, home to Iseli Nursery. Iseli is, in my opinion, the premier grower of conifers and Japanese maples. And thankfully, we’ve got a large order of both coming next week, including several you’ve never seen before.