Fruit Growing Guides
41 fruits with complete growing information
From berries to tropical fruits, find the right fruit plants for your garden and climate zone.
Strawberry
Perennial fruit that produces for years. Nothing beats homegrown strawberries.
Watermelon
Summer's iconic fruit. Needs space, heat, and patience. Worth the wait.
Cantaloupe
Sweet, fragrant melon that needs long, hot summers. Ripe when stem slips easily.
Blackberry
Vigorous bramble fruit. Thornless varieties available. Very productive once established.
Blueberry
Acid-loving berry bush. Needs acidic soil (pH 4.5-5.5). Beautiful fall foliage.
Raspberry
Delicate, flavorful berry. Everbearing types produce summer and fall crops.
Fig
Ancient fruit tree. Can be grown in containers. Sweet, honey-flavored fruit.
Grape
Vigorous climbing vine. Table grapes, wine grapes, and muscadines for warm areas.
Lemon
Evergreen citrus tree. Meyer lemons are best for home gardens.
Lime
Tropical citrus. Key limes and Persian limes both thrive in warm climates.
Avocado
Tropical tree fruit. Takes years to fruit from seed. Dwarf varieties available.
Mango
King of tropical fruits. Large, beautiful tree. Hundreds of delicious varieties.
Papaya
Fast-growing tropical fruit. Can fruit within a year from seed.
Passion Fruit
Tropical climbing vine with exotic flowers and tangy fruit.
Pineapple
Tropical bromeliad. Grow from the top of a store-bought pineapple.
Banana
Tropical herbaceous plant (not a tree). Dwarf varieties fruit in containers.
Boysenberry
Large, dark berry -- a cross of raspberry, blackberry, and loganberry. Intense flavor.
Cacao
Source of chocolate. Tropical understory tree with pods growing directly from trunk.
Coffee Plant
Tropical shrub producing coffee cherries. Makes an attractive houseplant too.
Dragon Fruit
Stunning cactus fruit with pink skin and speckled flesh. Night-blooming flowers.
Elderberry
Hardy shrub with immune-boosting berries for syrups, jams, and wine.
Goji Berry
Superfruit shrub producing small red berries packed with antioxidants.
Gooseberry
Tart berry bush perfect for jams and pies. Very cold-hardy. Thorny stems.
Jackfruit
Largest tree fruit in the world -- can weigh 35kg. Meat substitute when unripe.
Kiwi
Vigorous vine producing fuzzy brown fruit. Hardy kiwi varieties for cold climates.
Kumquat
Tiny citrus eaten whole -- sweet skin with tart flesh. Most cold-hardy citrus.
Mulberry
Hardy fruit tree with sweet-tart berries. Birds love them -- net to protect harvest.
Nectarine
Smooth-skinned peach relative. Needs winter chill hours for fruit production.
Olive
Ancient Mediterranean tree. Drought-tolerant once established. Lives centuries.
Peach
Beloved stone fruit with fuzzy skin and sweet juicy flesh. Needs winter chill.
Pear
Long-lived fruit tree. Pick before fully ripe and ripen indoors. Asian and European types.
Persimmon
Beautiful ornamental fruit tree. American and Asian varieties. Sweet when fully ripe.
Plum
Adaptable stone fruit. European plums for eating fresh, Japanese for cooking.
Pomegranate
Ancient fruit with ruby seeds (arils). Drought-tolerant once established.
Star Fruit
Tropical tree with waxy, star-shaped fruit when sliced. Sweet-tart flavor.
Cranberry
Tart bog berry for sauces and juices. Low-growing evergreen groundcover.
Guava
Tropical fruit tree with aromatic fruit. Rich in vitamin C. Easy to grow.
Lychee
Prized tropical fruit with floral aroma and translucent flesh in rough red shell.
Physalis
Ground cherry / cape gooseberry with sweet fruit in papery husks.
Black Currant
Intensely flavored berry for jams, syrups, and cassis liqueur. Very cold-hardy.
Jujube
Chinese date -- sweet, date-like fruit on extremely drought-tolerant tree.