Many different types of fruit can be grown in the home garden, depending on the space and growing conditions available. From apples to juicy gooseberries, ‘luscious’ pears and sweet strawberries, perfect plums and popular raspberries, there’s sure to be a fruit you can successfully grow at home. Read up to make sure you have the right soil, sun and winter conditions for each fruit, then select cultivars for your growing area.
Because of our climate, Wisconsin always has a risk of spring frosts. Temperatures below 28°F will injure or kill flowers or immature fruit. This factsheet will briefly outline critical temperatures at different stages of flower development, and describe how a gardener might protect against late season frosts.
Find out which fruit cultivars are recommended for Northern Wisconsin. This publication describes flavor, ripening date, winter hardiness, and more. It includes tree fruits (apples, pears, crabapples), stone fruits (apricots, tart cherries, plums), and small fruits (strawberries, raspberries, currants, elderberries, gooseberries, juneberries or serviceberries, grapes, blueberries, lingonberries).
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Brian R. Smith, Daniel L. Mahr, Patricia S. McManus, Teryl R. Roper Revised: 7/5/2010 Item number: A1597 Strawberries are the most widely grown small fruit crop in Wisconsin. Learn about the growth and fruiting habits of strawberries and how to raise and harvest them successfully. Download Article
Teryl R. Roper, Daniel L. Mahr, Patricia S. McManus Revised: 7/5/2010 Item number: A1656 This award-winning manual offers detailed instructions on how to successfully grow grapes in Wisconsin. Covers selecting the best cultivars for your growing conditions, illustrates a variety of trellis designs and proper pruning techniques, and suggests ways to limit or prevent damage […]
Brian R. Smith, Daniel L. Mahr, Patricia S. McManus, Teryl R. Roper Revised: 7/5/2010 Item number: A1610 A variety of raspberries—black, purple, and yellow as well as red—can thrive throughout Wisconsin. Describes how to select and raise them, and how to protect them from diseases and pests. Download Article
Teryl R. Roper, Daniel L. Mahr, Patricia S. McManus Revised: 7/5/2010 Item number: A1960 Currants, elderberries, and gooseberries are all native to Wisconsin woodlands, fence rows, and fields, often harvested from the wild and are prized for making jams, jellies, pies, and juice. These crops are generally hardy enough to be grown in all areas […]
Teryl R. Roper Revised: 7/5/2010 Item number: A3743-E This fact sheet helps you determine when various apple cultivars are ripe and ready to pick as well as providing tips on harvesting and storing your bounty. Download Article
Brian R. Smith, Teryl R. Roper Revised: 7/5/2010 Item number: A2488 Find out which fruit cultivars are recommended for your area of Northern Wisconsin. Describes flavor, ripening date, winter hardiness, and more. This 16-page fact sheet covers the following: – tree fruits (apples, pears, crabapples)– stone fruits (apricots, tart cherries, plums)– small fruits (strawberries, raspberries, […]
Teryl R. Roper, Daniel L. Mahr, Patricia S. McManus Revised: 7/5/2010 Item number: A2072 Pears are among the easiest tree fruits to grow. This 28-page publication covers everything you need to know for successful fruit production: rootstock selection and planting tips, fertilization and tree care, harvest, and storage. Includes detailed information on managing disease and […]
Teryl R. Roper, Daniel L. Mahr, Patricia S. McManus Revised: 7/5/2010 Item number: A3639 Apricot, cherry, peach, and plum trees produce some of the tastiest fruit available. But successfully growing them in Wisconsin requires time, space, and expertise. Find out how to care for the trees and fruit, from planting through harvest. Download Article
A great how-to book for backyard apple growers. Covers everything from planting tips to pruning to disease and insect management strategies.
Mary Francis Heimann, O.S.F., Distinguished Outreach Specialist emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Brian Hudelson, UW-Madison Plant Pathology Revised: 12/9/2004 Item number: XHT1026 What is bacterial canker? Bacterial canker is a common and sometimes lethal disease of trees in the genus Prunus including cherry, plum and peach. Bacterial canker is also known as “gummosis”, […]
Authors: Patricia McManus and Brian Hudelson, UW-Madison Plant Pathology Last Revised: 04/06/2021 X-number: XHT1069 What is peach leaf curl? Peach leaf curl is a common disease of peach and nectarine trees throughout the Midwest and eastern U.S. Where the disease is severe, tree vigor and fruit quality and yield are reduced. Peach leaf curl often […]
Ann Joy and Brian Hudelson, UW-Madison Plant Pathology Revised: 4/24/2004 Item number: XHT1090 What is fire blight? Fire blight is the most destructive bacterial disease affecting plants in the rose family, including apple, pear, crabapple, hawthorn, cotoneaster, mountain ash, quince, rose, pyracantha, and spirea. It can kill or disfigure a tree or shrub, depending on […]
