Production and Harvesting
Planting fruit trees can be a very rewarding experience for both commercial growers and home gardeners. Penn State Extension provides educational resources on growing and harvesting fruit crops such as apples, cherries, peaches, strawberries, and raspberries. Tips on thinning and pollination can be accessed, as well.
How to Plant Fruits and Fruit Trees
The first step in planting fruits and fruit trees is finding the right spot. Most plants require plenty of sunlight to fuel fruit production, so choose a planting area that receives full sun the majority of the day.
In most parts of the US, fruit crops are planted in early spring. However, before planting fruit trees, ensure that the soil is dry enough to crumble in your hand. Additional suggestions for home orchards include using dwarfing rootstocks, growing strawberries in pots, and growing currants in partial shade.
Growing Small Fruits
Small fruits require less space than trees and are an excellent choice for both orchards and backyards. By growing fruits at home, you can enjoy nutrient-rich fruit from early summer through late fall.
Small fruit varieties include blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and goji berries. They also include strawberries – one of the most popular and easiest fruit crops. Depending on the variety, strawberries fruit in June (“June-bearers”) or throughout summer (day-neutral types).
Learn how to grow strawberries and raspberries in containers and discover what it takes to grow brambles with Penn State Extension’s online courses.
Growing Fruit Trees
Growing fruit trees is a satisfying undertaking, but there are many considerations that need to be addressed prior to planting the first tree. Begin by deciding on the type of tree you’d like to grow – apple, pear, or stone fruit (e.g. peach, apricot, cherry, or plum).
If you want to grow fruits commercially, it’s important to focus on the orchard establishment and site preparation. Assess all factors that will affect production efficiency, fruit quality, and orchard sustainability.
Apple trees are a particularly popular cultivar. Apples can be an excellent choice for large orchards and smaller spaces alike. Learn how to start producing fruit in your yard with the Growing Apple Trees workshop.
Successful fruit production involves several key practices – pollination, thinning, pruning, irrigation, and fertilization.
Pollination
To produce fruit, most trees go through pollination – the transfer of pollen from the male part (stamen) to the female part of a flower (stigma). Birds, bees, and insects that help carry pollen are referred to as pollinators.
Most orchards rely on solitary bees and honey bees for pollination as their abundance can be managed from year to year. During bloom, pesticide sprays should be used with caution in order to protect pollinators.
Thinning and Pruning
Fruit trees often set more fruit than they can support. Leaving too much fruit on a tree, however, can weaken the tree and make it more susceptible to pests.
Pruning fruit trees, especially apples and pears, helps develop the desired tree shape, increases produce quality, and improves air circulation within the tree.
Along with pruning, thinning can help the fruit to develop to its maximum size, reduce the spread of diseases, and promote return bloom in the following season. Thinning is a highly effective crop load management tool for stone fruit and apple tree growers.
Irrigation and Fertilization
Uneven precipitation can cause plant stress, affecting both crop productivity and produce quality. Frequent irrigation and fertilization are required to meet the crop’s water and nutrient needs.
Irrigation systems, including the drip-irrigation method, provide trees with a consistent source of moisture and minimize stress during drought periods. Proper irrigation timing can increase crop yield and quality.
Fruit tree fertilization refers to the nutrients added to the soil. The degree of fertilization depends on the desired type of growth. A nutritional analysis can help you choose an appropriate fertilizer for the next season.
Harvesting Fruits
Timing is key when determining when to harvest fruit from your trees. Checking the ripeness of a few individual fruits can help decide whether trees are ready for picking. Ripening periods, however, vary depending on the fruit variety. With apples, for instance, background color, starch content, and firmness are the most important factors in guiding harvest timing.
For successful tree fruit harvesting, access Penn State Extension resources on orchard management, fruit maturity indicators, and post-harvest handling. Information on harvest assist technologies and harvesting home-grown fruit is available.
- News
2024 Apple Phenology Updates for April 23
Date Posted 4/24/2024Approaching petal fall and frost damage updates for April 23, 2024. - Workshops
Free
Spring Orchard Meeting
When Multiple Options AvailableLength 2 hoursDive into expert-led sessions, connect with fellow growers, and earn pesticide credits while exploring the latest in commercial fruit operations. - News
Frost and Freeze Damage Event on Strawberry April 20–April 22
Date Posted 4/18/2024Your crops may need frost protection. - News
2024 Apple Phenology Update and Blossom Thinning for April 15
Date Posted 4/16/2024Various parts of Pennsylvania witnessed severe isolated thunderstorms for brief periods on April 14 and 15. - News
2024 Apple Bloom Phenology Updates: April 2, 2024
Date Posted 4/3/2024The 2023–24 winter was milder than previous years, with a few winter storms interspersed between milder temperatures. - Articles
An Overview of Advanced Weed Management Technologies for Orchards
Effective weed management is a crucial component of orchard farming and demands great attention and precision. - Tools and Apps
Trellis Construction Workbook
This tool will assist growers with the decision making process of determining the cost of two trellis systems. - News
Input Needed on Plastic Mulch Use in Strawberry Production
Date Posted 3/22/2024We can probably all agree that figuring out what to do with used plastic mulch is a headache. - Articles
Frost, Critical Temperatures, and Frost Protection
In nearly all Pennsylvania orchards at some time there is a problem with late spring frosts that can damage the flowers and reduce the crop. - Workshops
Blueberry Growers Twilight
Length 2 hoursRefine blueberry cultivation with pruning, soil nutrition, and disease insights. Penn State experts share strategies for success. Ideal for all growers. - Articles
Introduce and Evaluate an Unmanned Ground Sprayer for Vineyards and Orchards
Traditional spraying systems in orchards and vineyards operate at a constant rate using a standard nozzle setup, which can be inefficient due to variable row spacing and canopy sizes. - Workshops
Top-Working Apple Trees: A Grafting Workshop
Length 3 hoursExplore the costs, steps, and equipment for top-working, tree preparation, hands-on grafting experience, graft care, and subsequent tree management for optimal fruit production. - Articles
Fruit Tree Pruning - Summer Pruning Cautions
Summer pruning is a vague term and simply refers to the time of year pruning is performed (when trees have foliage) and does not describe the type of pruning cuts. - Articles
Fruit Harvest - Estimating Apple Yield and Fruit Size
Early-season yield and packout predictions are useful for growers and packers to plan for adequate harvest labor and storage space and to develop an orderly marketing plan. - Articles
Fruit Color - Promoting Red Color Development in Apple
Fruit surface color is complex due to genetics and mutations, environmental factors, crop load, plant nutrition, plant stresses, and plant growth regulators. - Articles
Fruit Harvest - Handling of Frozen Apples
Apple fruit will withstand up to 4 hours at 28°F before serious injury occurs. Recovery depends not only on the extent of freezing, but also the rate of thawing. - Guides and Publications
Starting at $15.00
Tree Fruit Production Guide
Get the most up-to-date information on growing tree fruit on a commercial scale. Revised information and a refreshed look for 2024. - Articles
Growing Fruit Plants from Seed
During the cold winter period people begin thinking about their vegetable gardens and looking at all the seed catalogs. They also think about that good apple or pear they had from their local farmer's market. - Articles
Nitrogen Fertilization of Peach Trees
Unless soils are deficient in a nutrient, such as sandy soils, fruit trees respond more to nitrogen (N) application than any other nutrient. - Articles
Sources Of Plant Disease In Greenhouses
Where do diseases begin? It is important to prevent losses due to plant pathogens by reducing or eliminating the numbers of pathogens at their source. - Articles
Apple Crop Load Management - A Hand-thinning Gauge
The Equilifruit disc, developed in France, has potential as a hand-thinning gauge in tall spindle apple. - News
Apple Workshop to Cover Improving Apple Fruit Marketability
Date Posted 10/10/2023Harvest and postharvest fruit quality and safety practices for improving apple fruit marketability. - Articles
Peach Tree Pruning - Managing Light and Crop Load
Peach trees are pruned to maintain tree size and shape and to help manage light and crop load. - Articles
Apple PGRs - Prevention of Preharvest Drop in Apple Orchards
As apples mature, they begin to produce large amounts of the ripening hormone, ethylene. One of the ripening processes stimulated by ethylene is stem loosening. - Articles
Apple Crop Load Management: Chemical Thinning
Chemical thinning applications are probably the most important single spray in a season.