Blueberries are one of the easiest fruits to grow in central NC

Harvesting home-grown fruits and berries is one of the greatest rewards your garden can offer, but also one of the most challenging. These Extension resources will help you determine which fruits and berries can realistically be grown in our climate, recommended varieties and their pollination needs, care and pruning, and integrated pest management practices that will maximize your chance of success.

Review slides from 2017 class: Growing Fruits and Berries
Review slides from 2016 class: FRUITS AND BERRIES 101

Learn more from these Extension resources:

Quick guide to fruits and berries for Central NC

The Extension Gardener Handbook is your source for practical, research-based information on gardening, lawn care, and landscaping in North Carolina. Chapters 14 & 15 cover growing fruits and berries.

Orchard mason bees are important pollinators of early blooming fruit crops. Encourage orchard mason bees to nest in your home orchard by constructing nesting blocks. Learn how

Soil preparation is an important step for establishing fruits and berries. Learn more about improving and preparing your soil

Growing and Caring for Berries and Grapes:

• Growing Grapes and Berries
• Muscadine Grapes in the Home Garden
• Growing Blueberries
• Blueberry Production and Pruning
• Blackberries for Home Gardens
• Growing Strawberries in the Home Garden
• Growing Kiwifruit
• Clemson Extension Small Fruit Fact Sheets 
• Even more resources are posted on the Growing Small Farms website

Growing and Caring for Fruit Trees:

• Producing Tree Fruit for Home Use
• Apples in the Home Garden
• Heirloom Apple Production
• Growing Asian Persimmon
  
• Growing Peaches in NC
• Potential Peach Varieties for NC
• Growing Pears in NC
• Growing Figs
• Growing Small Farms – Fruit Trees Web Resources
• Clemson Extension Fruit Tree Fact Sheets

NC State Extension has developed crop based websites known as portals to capture information related to many fruits for both home gardeners and commercial growers. Explore the following portals to learn more!

• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Blackberries and Raspberries
• Muscadine Grapes

Pruning Fruits and Berries

• Pruning Blueberries
• Blueberry Pruning video from the University of Kentucky
• Caring for Muscadine Grapes – includes training and pruning information
• Training and Pruning Fruit Trees
• Training Young Fruit Trees video from Almanac Gardener
• Pruning Neglected Fruit Trees video  from Almanac Gardener
• Pruning Newly Planted Peach Trees video from NC State
• Pruning Two Year Old Peach Trees video from NC State
• Pruning Mature Peach Trees video from NC State

Managing Pests and Diseases

• Insect and Disease Management in Home Orchard
• Fruit Disease Fact Sheets
• Pests of Fruits and Vegetables Fact Sheets from Clemson Extension

Propagating Fruit Plants

• Blueberry Propagation
• Propagating Muscadine Grapes
• Grafting Fruit Trees Almanac Gardener video
• Grafting and Budding Fruit Trees Minnesota Extension fact sheet

Sources of Fruit Trees and Berry Plants – If you can’t find the varieties you want at local garden centers, try these specialty nurseries:

• Century Farm Orchards, Reidesville, NC – NC heirloom apple and pear varieties
• Wynn Dinnsen, Pittsboro, NC – Pawpaw and blueberry plants (wholesale quantities only)
• Finch Blueberry Nursery, Bailey, NC
• Jones Farm, Bailey, NC – blackberry plants
• Woodard Pecan Nursery, Princeton NC. Offers a wide variety of fruits and pecan trees. No website, phone number is (919) 965-3561
• Ison’s Nursery, Georgia – best known for muscadines, also grow blackberries, blueberries, hardy kiwi
• Sources on Growing Small Farms website  – some sell to farmers only but many also sell to home gardeners

Inclusion in this list does not imply endorsement by North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T State University, or North Carolina Cooperative Extension of any of the companies, products, or organizations listed.

Use Extension Search to find research based information from Cooperative Extension systems across the U.S.

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