Navigating home fruit production
Home fruit production, while rewarding, can be difficult and frustrating when dealing with the myriad pests and diseases that seemingly attack these plantings all season long. With the right tools and commitment to continued learning, home fruit production can be worthwhile, and quality yields can be achieved.
Many readily found resources that may provide information on fruit production are typically prepared for commercial-scale producers and systems. While these resources can offer good insights and information, management recommendations may not easily translate between commercial production and home-scale production. There are, however, some excellent resources available for smaller-scale production. It is just a matter of finding them. As such, this article will compile some of these resources for you while saving you time and trouble that would have been spent searching.
First and foremost, one of the most complete and well-rounded resources we have from Ohio State University Extension for home fruit production is the Midwest Home Fruit Production Guide. This guide covers everything from site selection to variety selection, pest management and everything in between. This guide covers tree fruit, small fruit, and specialty niche fruits such as pawpaw or currants and ribes.
If you are interested in this guide, you can visit your local county extension office to purchase a copy or purchase it online on the OSU Extension publications website, which is www.extensionpubs.osu.edu.
Along with this book, you also may find the book called “Controlling Diseases and Insects in Home Fruit Plantings” of interest. This also is available at the website address above or your local county extension office.
Other specific guides such as the Midwest Small Fruit Production Guide or the Strawberry Production Guide also can be found as publications from OSU Extension.
Additionally, Ohio State University Extension fruit pathologist Dr. Melanie Ivey has assembled some outstanding resource bulletins for home fruit production. So far her home fruit production and disease management series covers strawberries, grapes and apples.
These disease-management bulletins can be downloaded as a PDF. If you would like a print copy, stop by your local OSU Extension office to request one if you cannot print them on your own. Visit u.osu.edu/fruitpathology/home-disease-management-series to find these resources.
Another resource you may find of great interest is the University of Kentucky’s resource page at plantpathology.ca.uky.edu/extension/publications. Or the home fruit production resources also can be accessed at horticulture.ca.uky.edu/growers/home/fruits. Here you can find resources created for residential fruit plantings. Of note, I would highly recommend finding the cultural calendar of the fruit type you are growing.
Cultural calendars show integrated approaches to disease and pest management. These fact sheets take you month by month and stage by stage to show when certain practices are most effectively utilized.
Of course, there are many other resources available that are not listed here. When searching for information online, it can be helpful to include keywords in your search bar such as “home fruit,” “residential,” and “extension” or “edu.” This helps to bring relevant, land-grant information to the top of your search results.
Of course, if there is any information you are having trouble finding or any challenges your home fruit planting is experiencing, don’t hesitate to reach out to your local OSU county extension office for help and applicable information.
Frank Becker is the agriculture and natural resources extension educator with Ohio State University Extension Wayne County and a certified crop adviser and may be reached at 330-264-8722 or becker.587@osu.edu.