The classic variety at mid-west farm stands are Red Haven. When they come on, there are always lines to buy them.
We bought our 3 trees at Kroger, $12 each. They were only 1/2 inch in diameter and 3 ft tall wips. But don’t be fooled, we actually got two peaches first year in the ground.
The Red Havens ripen end of July. We must spray to get fruit so an early type is great, much less spraying than a Fall variety.
Buy the smallest tree you can find, shape it yourself. Many of the 6 ft tall trees have bad shapes. Impossible to get to open center
I got into growing fruit for the better taste. I like peaches and plums, but the store bought ones are pretty bad. Same with tomatoes.
Favorite fruit is peaches, and I live in an area that is tough to grow peaches. My oldest son’s favorite fruit is figs, and I went through that rabbit hole with several varieties, more than any other fruit tree.
I have gardened all my life, but really got into fruit tree growing the last 10 years. I grew my first tree(non fruit) when I was about 10, so I could say for almost 50 years.
Probably be more fig trees. Really addicting, and easy to propagate so you can give them to your friends and not cost you anything but a little time. The trees, not the fruit. My oldest so far has eaten nearly all the figs, and really does like to share.
I started growing fruit / gardening because I wanted to eat healthier. I had a bad habit of buying fruit / veg at the store then not eating it. I knew if I had put in the work to actually grow the stuff I would go through with eating it.
Raspberries where the catalyst for really jumping into the hobby though. Fresh raspberries, perfectly ripe, straight from the plant and still warm from the sun, HOLY COW! To say that store bought raspberries are a shadow of the real thing is an understatement.
Favorite fruit is wild blackcap raspberries. They have a lot of seeds but to me the flavor is better than any other fruit I’ve tasted.
Been gardening 7 years now, ever since we bought our house.
I desperately want more pecans. The oldest of my trees are 7 years old and I’ve gotten a grand total of 3 nuts. My area is marginal for them, but where I grew up every house had a pecan tree. My first “job” was selling bags of shelled pecans, and I must have eaten many gallons of them every year.
Your wild blackcaps must be better than ours. The ones on my property are small, soft and insipid. Jewel are much better. But I can imagine them being great. Unlike the salmonberries that are just bland and bitter here. Its hard for me to picture those being good.
I agree that raspberries are one of the most gratifying to grow at home, especially here in the Pacific Northwest with a good climate for them. They are super perishable and expensive to buy fresh, for fruit that isn’t nearly as good. Kind of like figs.
i want peaches! i ordered a reliance peach on semi dwarf root stock for next spring. it will be right next to my deck so i can give it constant care. what say you i get some peaches from this in z4a? plan to keep it buried in the winter. going to try and train it espalier style to limit growth.
My grandfather’s blueberries were amazing. I eventually learned that it was because they were fresh, and that it only takes a few hours off the bush to lose that perfect pop.
So I grow tons of blueberries for that reason, and some other fruits and herbs. And then the other half of my garden is “weird” stuff that is not available in stores or very expensive in stores – Asian persimmons, Jerusalem artichokes, honeyberries, gooseberries…much of the fun of it for me is sharing new experiences with curious neighbors.
Oh yeah! I definitely agree with what you said about eating what you grow after putting in the work! I love black cap raspberries too. They grow around here like weeds. My kids prefer the red and yellow varieties which is great because more black caps for me
Yes absolutely! I’ve had so many neighbors curious about what I’m growing. It’s so nice to share food with them too. In fact it motivated one of my neighbors to start her own mini orchard this August and she’s since planted over 20 fruit trees.
Wild blackcap raspberries are basically weeds around here. But that’s fine, because they’re great, I’ve eaten and enjoyed them all my life. I got a couple of Jewel a few years ago and the taste I think is just about identical, but they’re larger and maybe less “seedy”. Win win in my book…
As far as reds, I’ve yet to try one that isn’t for the most part “bleh”. I’ve admittedly sampled few varieties though… The fairly invasive Wineberries are incredibly more tasty I think. Gosh they are so good, but… If you’ve got one cane you’ve got a hundred!
I’ve had kind of the same problem being disappointed by reds. Out of the 9 varieties I’ve tried so far, Killarney ( a floricane) has been my favorite, and Polana (a prinocane) my second. Sounds like I may need to try some blacks.
Not too expensive. Don’t use too much space. Bear quickly. . More likely to benefit from being grown close to the consumer. Tend to be a high value crop in the sense that anything similar you buy locally is going to be relatively expensive.
My grandparents always had a huge garden. The memories of going into the garden to harvest what we eat is a big part of why I do this. I like the control I have over what I eat. Just look how many times things like Lettuce is recalled for Salmonella. Also things like raspberries are always best picked fresh right off the plant.
Favorite thing for me to grow would have to be blueberries. We grow 8 different varieties and next year hope to add another 8 or so. Everything is in grow bags until I can transition to a permanent spot on some acreage. I was hesitant at first, but I like the idea of being able to move them around and they give me a good variety I can grow in my limited space.
I have only been growing for about 4 years or so. You learn something new each year.
We are looking to expand into more honeyberries and pears next year to add to the collection.
I am a professional grower. I have been a small farmer most of my life. I have grown winegrapes in north central california, also, cherries, melons, and seed crops.
It’s almost impossible not to lose money in my circumstances these days so I wouldn’t recommend it. As in don’t buy farmland thinking it will pay for itself these days. Rent/lease what you need, first. Imported produce is just too good and too cheap!
If you want to do it, figure on selling at a farmers market, local roadside sales, etc. working hard and not getting rich at it. Make sure you can get a spot at your local sales place before you plant.
Mostly it’s about about your own satisfaction: picking/eating fresh, seasonal, special variety produce. You (likely) can’t compete given US costs of production anymore.
