Raspberries are easy here. I have Heritage and I like it, but I've heard that Caroline is better. The black raspberries are good too and will fruit a bit earlier than the reds. I've got Anne for a yellow raspberry but I'm having some problems with it since it is competing with Heritage. Raspberries grow like weeds and your only problem is stopping them from taking over your yard. Well, the Japanese beetles like them too but there isn't much you can do about them. Nourse Farms is the best place to order raspberries. I've got a Honeycrisp apple tree. I haven't had to do anything to it so far. I bag the apples, but I left some unbagged this year and they were fine. It has wonderfully good apples here. Other trees - I'm still working on a good peach, Madison hasn't been very hardy for me. I had an unknown peach tree that was very good and only needed spraying for peach leaf curl during the winter. Danube is a good cherry tree with somewhat sweeter than normal tart cherries but definitely not the same as a sweet cherry. The birds get a lot of the cherries but that just requires some netting. My plums are still very young so I can't say much about them - I've got Superior and Kuban Comet and I'll be getting Black Ice this spring (I hope). Blueberries are a bit difficult since they need acidic soil. Once you get the soil right then you need to protect them from rabbits. I'm still working on that. Patriot is supposed to be very good. I'll agree with the recommendation for semi-dwarf trees. You can prune them to keep them the size you want and they won't need to be staked. I've ordered from Raintree last year and the trees that they sent were nice. You don't need large trees - they actually take longer to adjust and get established than smaller trees. There are other vendors that are good too. You can find them on the garden watchdog website.

The cherry tree is about 6 feet, the pear trees are 4-5 feet, the peach are about 3 feet and the apple about 5 feet. If you need to know specific varieties I can go out and look at the bands on the trees. I got cherries last year and one apple. The peach trees are one year old. I have never sprayed ever. I had another peach tree that died about 2 years ago. It produced fruit that had many black spots and then the leaves fell off and it died. These are all the reasons I must research the topic. I don't know anything. The only pests that I have noted are what I call bagworms. Before I noticed them they took many of the leaves from the cherry tree. I took care of them with seven dust that I use sparingly in the garden. I do get powdery mildew here and now that i think about it I believe that I had some PM on one of the trees. I really had it on my honeysuckle and took care of it with daconil. It will be back. I need educated. I know nothing about dormant spraying or really anything else. Thanks for your interest in helping me. Regards, Pife

Hi Let's continue list now. Next book name is The A B C of strawberry culture, for farmers, village people, and small growers: a book for beginners from 1902 and online version has 235 pages. This book have information about growing strawberries. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=2719628 Next book name is English walnuts: what you need to know about planting, cultivating and harvesting this most delicious of nuts from 1912 and online version has 29 pages. This books tells about growing english walnuts. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=2716504 Next book name is The American apple orchard: a sketch of the practice of apple growing in North America at the beginning of the twentieth century from 1909 and online version has 215 pages. This books have information about growing apples. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=3317142 Next book name is American pomology: apples from 1867 and online version has 744 pages. This book has information about growing apples. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=3072510 Next book name is Apple growing from 1912 and online version has 185 pages. This books have information about growing apples. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx? c=chla;idno=2887342 Next book name is Apple growing in California: a practical treatise designed to cover some of the important phases of apple culture within the state from 1914 and online version has 124 pages. This books have information about growing apples in California. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=2824238 Next book name is Apple growing in the Pacific northwest: a condensation of lectures, experiments and discussions from 1911 and online version has 215 pages. This books have information about growing apples. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=2924725 Next book name is The apple-tree from 1922 and online version has 117 pages. This book has information about growing apples. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=3150023 Next book name is The apple: what it is ; how to grow it ; its commercial and economic importance ; how to utilize it from 1898 and online version has 229 pages. This book have information about growing apples. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=2824304 Next book name is Apples of England from 1936 and online version has 280 pages. This books have information about growing apples. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=3321877 Next book name is The principles of fruit-growing, with applications to practice from 1915 and online version has 432 pages. This books tells about planting fruit trees, fertilizing peaches. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=6068935 Next book name is Small fruis from 1954 and online version has 93 pages. This books have information about growing blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=3132169 Next book name is The cherry in Kansas: with a chapter on the apricot and nectarine from 1900 and online version has 128 pages. This books have information about cherry growing. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=3141734 Next book name is The grape in Kansas from 1901 and online version has 139 pages. This books have information about growing grapes. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=2907166 Next book name is The plum in Kansas: with a chapter on the prune from 1900 and online version has 159 pages. This books have information about growing plums. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=3141743 Next book name is Beginners' guide to fruit growing: a simple statement of the elementary practices of propagation, planting, culture, fertilization, pruning, spraying, etc. from 1912 and online version has 120 pages. This books have information about growing, planting, prunning and sraying fruit trees. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=2923536 Next book name is Date growing in the Old World and the New from 1913 and online version has 316 pages. This books have information about growing dates. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=3145183 Next book name is New and enlarged manual on practical strawberry and berry fruit culture: also of grapes, asparagus, rhubarb, etc. from 1900 and online version has 120 pages. This books have information about strawberries. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=2717652 Next book name is The book of the apple: together with chapters on the history and cookery of the apple, and on the preparation of cider. from 1902 and online version has 116 pages. This books have information about prunning and planting apple trees. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=2857296 Next book name is The book of useful plants from 1913 and online version has 374 pages. This books have plants what fruits can be eaten for example peaches, plums, loquat, grapes. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=2717673 Next book name is Register of new fruit and nut varieties, 1920-1950 from 1952 and online version has 206 pages. This books have peach, plum, almond and blackberry variety describtions. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=3174378 Next book name is A handbook of hardy fruits more commonly grown in Great Britain: apples and pears from 1920 and online version has 205 pages. This books have information about apple. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=3163353 Next book name is Fruit growing outdoors from 1946 and online version has 524 pages. This books have information about growing peaches. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=3157758 Next book name is The fundamentals of fruit production from 1922 and online version has 686 pages. This books have information about fruit tree temperature relation to fruit plants for example hardiness, winter injury to peaches , water requirements and fruit setting. Here is the link : http://chla.library.cornell.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=chla;idno=3161606 There was many books in that list, i stop now. Hopefully you can find them useful.

I've lived here for 15 years, this is just my personal viewpoint. I have a no-spray garden, and encourage predatory insects like wasps, ladybugs, etc. by planting a wide range of ornamental and fruiting plants. Apple- Liberty, Freedom, Spitzenberg, William's Pride (early apple that has much less codling moth damage in my yard). Plums, peaches- lost quite a few which declined over several years and died, no longer planting stone fruits. That said, Methley is wonderful used to have lots of fruit, and seems to be recovering to have a bumper crop this year after a few years with very little fruit. Blueberries- plant a range of early, mid and late for longer harvest. I also like evergreen varieties for pretty fall color and Sunshine Blue, Legacy, and Misty bear well Raspberries- Chilliwack Aronia Viking- very fruitful, no pests, berries all ripen at the same time in easy to pick clusters Paw Paws- took 7-8 years for seedling ones from Burnt Ridge to bear. Tropical taste and texture Mulberries- Illinois Everbearing, Weeping Pears- few pests, usually good yields