Just joined the forum, seeking some advice from experienced gardeners. I am based in NJ on the border of zone 7 and 6b. Last year I tried my hands at growing strawberries and blue berries with some success so this year I want to expand and start planting fruit trees.
What would you guys recommend for new gardeners to try ? I want to minimize the weekly/monthly maintenance work.
Ideally I would like to grow cherries (thinking lapins), pomegranates (thinking Russian variety for zone 6 and below) , pears and nectarines. But from what I read on the forum so far, cherries require constant spraying and pomegranates don’t grow as well in NJ due to harsh winters.
Also, what’s the best online nursery to order fruit trees from .
Welcome to the forum. How much space are you working with? In NJ your spraying just about everything. The only things I can say have not needed any sort of sprays are Goumi, Medler bush cherry’s, blue berries and strawberries.
Spraying, pest management (birds, squirrels, etc) and pruning + thinning are going to be your major tasks so keep those in mind when selecting types of fruit to grow and variety selection.
You can likely get away with just 3 cover sprays and 1 dormant spray if you get the timing right.
I think you should try persimmons (American, Asian, and or hybrids), figs, raspberries, and blackberries. Those are all pretty easy and should do well in your climate with minimal spray. Pears should also work well along with blueberries. Blueberries grow wild in some parts, and I see them popping out of sidewalk cracks in parts of the pine barrens.