No fruit tree or shrub is maintenance-free, and as a group, they tend to be one of the most high-maintenance plantings in a typical yard. That said, fig, persimmon (both American and Asian types), and pawpaw are among the more easy-care fruit plants for home gardens. We encourage gardeners new to growing fruit to start with shrub fruits (blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, etc.) before jumping into growing tree fruits, since the overall maintenance of the plants is less complicated. While you can of course opt to grow them organically if you prefer, be aware that most fruits will require some sort of pesticide intervention (using organic chemicals or not) to protect long-term plant health as well as to keep a harvest from being ruined for the season if a pest or disease takes hold. Plant disease spread and severity can be closely tied to weather (being worse in years with wet springs), and fungicide use is a preventative measure only (it can't cure existing disease), which is why planning and careful timing of intervention before disease symptoms manifest is key to maintain plant health.

We recently did a major revision of our fruit tree and shrub content, and while one final web page is in the process of being generated as we speak (we hope to have it posted within the next few weekdays; it includes Asian persimmon and pawpaw information), the rest are published. There are too many pages to share individually, but if you start by exploring our main fruit page list and the introductory pages below, you can get an overview of what to expect for each crop and what to keep in mind when planning a fruit garden in general:

• Starting a Home Fruit Garden
• Fruit Plant Care

Several types of fruit tree come in dwarfed options when they are grafted onto dwarfing roots stocks. (Semi-dwarf is more common than truly dwarf. Semi-dwarf still keeps them shorter than a full-size tree, but they will still mature in the 12- to 15-foot height range, which is as small as many of them get. A dwarf fruit tree might reach about 8-10 feet high.)

Extension doesn't collect information on nursery offerings, nor do we recommend particular businesses, but aside from local garden centers/nurseries, many of which stock fruit trees and shrubs, several online-only nurseries exist in the central eastern U.S. and specialize in fruiting plants. Those that mail-order plants bare-root do so around late winter, so may be sold out for now, but those that can send potted plants might still be shipping. Spring is an okay time to plant; early autumn is a great time, at least for most species, and local nurseries do tend to restock by then, though the selection might not be as thorough as it was for spring.

Miri