First-Timer - Reputable Fruit Tree Vendors

14 years ago

Hello everyone,

Please bear with me, I'm new to this forum, gardening, and especially growing fruit, however I'm insanely interested in the gardening subject and ready to learn!

Let me offer some background:

I'm pretty much out of college and purchased my first house a few weeks ago in Bartlett, and the home is devoid of any landscaping other than the basic plants the home builder decided to use. The front yard has a new oak sapling (not looking too great either) and two flower beds in the front have spiny-leafed plants and some shrubs. The backyard has no trees and no beds. All grass is bermudagrass. I thought I would landscape with fruit & veggies and at least then the land could provide for me.

I became interested in gardening about 2 years ago and did some apartment porch gardening with peppers, tomatoes, herbs. I grew them from seed, only fertilized a few times, picked about 20 horn-worms off my tomatoes, and that's essentially the extent of my gardning knowledge.

Since I'm such a newbie, I don't want to overwhelm myself, but I understand I need to get any fruit trees I want planted as quickly as possible to get them established. With the research I've been doing, I've read that it's most important to find a reputable source for fruit since the early care can dictate how well the tree will produce in the future. My only problem is I have no idea where to buy the trees and who to trust. Preferably I'd like to buy local, but if people in this area order online I'm fine with that.

One benefit I felt I would have with purchasing from a local (reputable) nursery is that I could talk with the people there for advice on plant care for the region. It would be nice to have a local mentor who I could contact for questions if any arise. Unfortunately, people my age (24) just aren't that into gardening (at least those that I know...) Anyway, I think this is a skill every human needs on some basic level, so I thought I'd begin learning now.

Below is a list of fruit I am interested in planting (space will limit this list I imagine). If you have any suggestions on varieties given my inexperienced circumstances, please comment!

Blackberries

Blueberries

Raspberries

Apple

Peach/Nectarine

Grapes

Plum

Pomegranates (do these grow successfully here?)

Some type of nut (taking limited space into consideration)

One last thing - my backyard is a flat, well-drained 50'x80'rectangle, and the front of the house faces due North, if this helps at all.

Thanks everybody for your help in advance! Everybody seems so friendly and inviting here, and I hope to eventually become a helpful member soon too :)

Ryan

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Comments (5)

Dave Townsend
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Hi Ryan!

I can't recommend anyone since I haven't planted fruit trees but I'm sure there are some reputable nurseries to find. Be careful of the box stores as I saw at least one here in Spring Hill that had fireblight on their pears. I told the clerk and they were gone next time I came back. I hope they were trashed and not sold. Anyway prep your soil for the blueberries with compost and something to acidify it. Peaches can be tricky because of the spring frosts. Sometimes the frost comes and knocks out the blossoms. This was actually a great peach year so you never know. Just go into it expecting intermittent crops and you'll be happy when the good stuff comes. UT has some great information on spraying cycles that you will want to look into. I'm going to look into apples this year so I'll be interested in hearing what other folks suggest as to where to find them. My grapes I planted this spring are doing good. I ordered them from a place called MyPersonalVineyard.com (at least I think that's the url) Early Spring is a good time to plant them. I only got four vines since I figures I could propagate more. Two are wine and two are table grapes. I hope that helps!

Dave

Here is a link that might be useful: The Home Garden
ladybug37091
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Glad to hear of your interest, Ryan! If you are going to be at the same house at least a decade, immediately plant pecan trees. They take a long time to bear and you really are best off with a grafted tree versus a seed grown variety. Pecans are expensive! I have two bearing peaches right now that I failed to spray. Peaches are very prone to fungus but will bear in a decent amount of time. Between the two peaches I have, the early bearing variety named Hales Red Haven knocked me off my socks. It bears early in the season and is so juicy sweet. I purchased two apple trees early this year from Verona Caney Gardens here in Lewisburg that I am thrilled with. Verona Caney Gardens is a family run nursery that had to rebuild their stock after that freak late freeze/drought a few years back. Great folks and nice selection. I chose Arkansas Black a tart apple that keeps a very long time that sweetens with age, and a SnappyMac tart. I have other fruit but it is too soon to be talking about just yet. I'm sure you will enjoy the learning process. Rhonda
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ronnywil
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
I would recommend Ison's. Another way to find a place would be through Garden Watchdog. Here is a link to them:

http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/

You can scroll to the bottom of the page and select the state and product you're looking for and get feedback on the sellers.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ison's Nursery
brandon7 TN_zone7
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
This list may seem rather long, but I think you will find it useful. Many of the vendors stock a fairly limited number of varieties, so, when you make your mind up about which variety and rootstock combination you seek, you may need to shop multiple nurseries to find what you want. I would be surprised if many local nurseries knew enough about growing fruit trees to be highly useful. There is one very very knowledgeable guy, that's a regular in the Fruit and Orchards Forum, that lives in your area. I'm not sure of his screenname right now, but will try to find it. If I forget to give it to you, email me in a few days.

Here are some good* mail order sources for various types of fruit plants:
*Sources with poorer ratings are listed separately below.

Adams County Nursery - various fruit tree types - excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.acnursery.com/

Bay Laurel Nursery - multiple types of fruit and nut trees and plants - very good G.WD. rating - http://www.baylaurelnursery.com/

Big Horse Creek Farm - apple trees - excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.bighorsecreekfarm.com/

Blossom Nursery - pawpaw trees & seeds - limited, excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.blossomnursery.com/

Boston Mountain Nurseries - affiliated with Arkansas Berry & Plant Farm and Pense Nursery - multiple types of berries and grapes - very limited, excellent G.WD. rating (warning! Arkansas Berry & Plant Farm has a very poor rating!)_- http://www.alcasoft.com/bostonmountain/

Boyer Nurseries & Orchards, Inc. - multiple types of fruit trees and plants and nut trees - limited, excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.boyernurseries.com/

Burnt Ridge Nursery - various types of fruit - very good G.WD. rating - http://www.burntridgenursery.com/

Century Farm Orchards - apple and pear trees - limited, excellent G.WD. rating, knowledgeable and helpful owner - http://www.centuryfarmorchards.com/

Cloud Mountain Farm - various types of fruit & impressive selection of other plants - excellent G.WD. - ratinghttp://www.cloudmountainfarm.com/

C&O Nursery - various fruit trees types - limited, excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.c-onursery.com/

Cummins Nursery - various fruit trees types - excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.cumminsnursery.com/

DeGrandchamp Farm - blueberries - limited excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.degrandchamps.com/

Double A Vinyards - blueberries - excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.rakgrape.com/

Durio Nursery - various types of fruit - limited G.WD. review - http://www.durionursery.biz/

Edible Landscaping - various types of fruit - good G.WD. rating - http://www.ediblelandscaping.com/

Fedco Trees - various types of fruit - excellent G.WD. rating - http://fedcoseeds.com/trees.htm

Forestfarm - huge selection of plants - excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.forestfarm.com/

fraises des bois - alpine strawberries - no G.WD. review, but my order was great! - http://www.fraisesdesbois.com/

fruit-tree.com Nursery - multiple types of fruit trees and plants - limited G.WD. review - http://www.fruit-tree.com/

Going Bananas - banana plants and corms - excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.going-bananas.com/

Grandpa's Orchard, LLC - affiliated with Moser Fruit Tree Sales, Inc. - rootstocks and various types of fruit trees and plants - very limited, excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.grandpasorchard.com/

Greenmantle Nursery - various types of fruit - excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.greenmantlenursery.com/

Hartmann's Plant Company - various types of fruit (mostly berries) - excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.hartmannsplantcompany.com/

Hidden Springs Nursery - multiple types of organically-grown fruit trees and plants - excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.hiddenspringsnursery.com/

Indiana Berry & Plant Co. - multiple types of small fruit and berries - excellent G.WD. rating - https://indianaberry.com/

Ison's Nursery & Vineyards - multiple types of fruit trees and plants (specialize in muscadines, blueberries and blackberries) - very good G.WD. rating - http://www.isons.com/

Johnson Nursery, Inc. - multiple types of fruit - excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.johnsonnursery.com/

Jung Quality Garden Seeds - multiple types of fruit trees and plants - good G.WD. rating - http://www.jungseed.com/

Krohne Plant Farms Inc. - strawberries and asparagus - limited, excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.krohneplantfarms.com/shop/

Lawson's Nursery - apples - not sure if this place is still open, the website is outdated - limited, excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.lawsonsnursery.com/

Leuthardt Nurseries, Inc. - various types of fruit (specialize in espalier) - limited, excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.henryleuthardtnurseries.com/

McKenzie Farms Nursery / World Wide Plants - unsure of products sold - excellent G.WD. rating - http://mckenzie-farms.8m.com/

Montoso Gardens - tropical fruits and seeds - excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.montosogardens.com/

Morse Nursery - various types of fruit - limited, excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.morsenursery.com/

Moser Fruit Tree Sales, Inc. - affiliated with Grandpa's Orchard LLC - rootstocks and fruit trees for commercial growers - very limited, excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.forfruittrees.com/

Nash Nurseries - pawpaw, hybrid chestnut, pine nut, etc. - limited, excellent G.WD. rating - no website - phone: 517-651-5278

Nolin River Nut Tree Nursery - persimmon, pawpaw, & multiple types of nut trees - excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.nolinnursery.com/

Nourse Farms Inc. - berries and small fruit - excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.noursefarms.com/

OIKOS Tree Crops - multiple types of fruit and nut trees and plants - excellent G.WD. rating - http://oikostreecrops.com/store/home.asp?cookiecheck=yes&;

Old Southern Apples Nursery - apple rootstock and custom grafts - no G.WD. rating - http://www.oldsouthernapples.com/

Peaceful Valley Farm Supply - various types of fruit trees and plants - good G.WD. rating - http://www.groworganic.com/default.html

Pense Nursery - affiliated with Arkansas Berry & Plant Farm and Boston Mountain Nurseries - multiple types of berries and grapes - mixed G.WD. rating but newer entries are better - http://www.alcasoft.com/pense/

Raintree Nursery - multiple types of fruit trees and plants - good G.WD. rating - http://www.raintreenursery.com/

Rhoras Nursery - various nut and fruit trees and plants - limited, mixed G.WD. rating - http://www.nuttrees.com/

Rombough, Lon J. - grapes - limited, excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.bunchgrapes.com/

St. Lawrence Nurseries - various northern climate fruit and nut trees - excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.sln.potsdam.ny.us/

Stark Brothers Nurseries & Orchards Company - various fruit trees and plants - OK/good G.WD. rating - http://www.starkbros.com/

Tomlinson's #1 Farm - antique apple trees - no G.WD. review - http://www.netreach.net/~tugger/apples/apples.html

Trees of Antiquity (formerly Sonoma Antique Apple Nursery) - multiple types of fruit trees and plants - excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.treesofantiquity.com/

Tripple Brook Farm - unusual fruits - very good G.WD. rating - http://www.tripplebrookfarm.com/

Van Well Nursery - various fruit and nut trees - excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.vanwell.net/

Vintage Virginia Apples - apple, pear, and quince trees - limited, excellent G.WD. rating - http://www.vintagevirginiaapples.com/index.html

Whitman Farms - small-fruit plants and trees and nut trees - excellent G.WD. rating - http://whitmanfarms.com/

Woodlanders, Inc. - wide variety of hard-to-find southern plants - OK/good G.WD. rating - http://www.woodlanders.net/

Here are some mail order sources with poorer reviews for various types of fruit plants:

Aaron's Bulb Farm, Arron's Fruit Nursery, Aaron's Nursery, etc. - see TyTy Nursery

Apple Tree Nursery, Fig Tree Nursery, Pecan Tree Nursery, etc. - see TyTy Nursery

Arkansas Berry & Plant Farm - affiliated with Boston Mountain Nurseries and Pense Nursery - multiple types of berries and grapes - very bad G.WD. rating - http://www.alcasoft.com/arkansas/

Autumn Ridge Nursery - various fruit and nut trees and plants - very poor G.WD. rating - http://www.autumnridgenursery.com/

Burgess Seed - various fruit and nut trees and plants - poor G.WD. rating - http://www.eburgess.com/

Direct Gardening - see Burgess Seed

Gurney's Seed & Nursery - multiple types of fruit and nut trees and plants - poor G.WD. rating - http://gurneys.com/

Henry Field's Seed & Nursery - various types of fruit - poor G.WD. rating - http://henryfields.com/

House of Wesley - see Burgess Seed

Inter-State Nurseries - see Burgess Seed
Kelly Nurseries - see Burgess Seed

Miller Nurseries - various types of fruit - OK to poor G.WD. rating - http://www.millernurseries.com/

One Green World (Northwoods Nursery) - multiple types of fruit trees and plants - OK/fair G.WD. rating - http://www.onegreenworld.com/

TyTy Nursery - extremely poor reviews

Willis Orchard Company - multiple types of fruit and nut trees and plants - fair G.WD. rating - http://www.willisorchards.com/
brandon7 TN_zone7
14 years ago
last modified: 9 years ago
Before you pick your trees/plants, research research research to find what will work best for you. There are no perfect varieties; all varieties have shortcomings. You'll need to first decide what characteristics are important to you and then choose varieties and rootstocks that will best meet your needs and perform well in your situation.

Many people don't realize how involved picking out the best variety can be. As an example, let's take apples. Here are a few of the characteristics you may want to consider:

some scion dependent characteristics-
fruit taste
fruit quality
disease resistance
productivity (how much fruit will be produced)
precocity (age at which the tree will start producing)
fruit storage potential

some rootstock dependent characteristics-
size/growth rate (Not only can this be important because of the amount of space available, but it can be critical for maintenance issues and harvest.)
productivity (how much fruit will be produced)
precocity (age at which the tree will start producing)
need or lack of need for external support (With some rootstocks, this may be partially dependent upon soil type. Certain rootstocks (especially many dwarfs) always require support.)
disease resistance
suckering (This can be a serious maintenance issue in extreme cases.)
soil/environmental adaptability
drought resistance (especially important if you don't have irrigation)
senescence (how long your tree will last and/or produce fruit)
graft compatibility (some rootstocks have more reliable graft compatibility than others.)

First-Timer - Reputable Fruit Tree Vendors

Comments (5)

Dave Townsend

ladybug37091

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brandon7 TN_zone7

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