5 Key Benefits of Growing Fruit

For many growers, fruit represents a new frontier in horticultural expertise. Because it requires different systems for planting, cultivation, harvesting, and post-harvest handling, becoming a fruit grower poses an interesting challenge to a vegetable grower. But there are many reasons to take up the challenge.

• Superior Taste — Locovores Everywhere Love Fruit. Locally grown fruit has superior flavor because it skips the long truck ride and reaches the table at optimal ripeness. Farmers market customers flock to vendors with locally grown fruit for sale. CSA members develop stronger ties to farms that can supply a wide range of fresh produce. Chefs who tout their connections with local farmers are delighted to be able to list local fruit on their dessert menus. And at home, even the most finicky eaters will happily snack on berries.


• Health Benefits — Super Phytonutrient-Rich. Fruit consumption is on the rise, thanks to recent discoveries about its health rewards. The pigments that lend berries their rich, deep colors also contain phytochemicals that boost the immune system, counteract free radicals, and aid in the prevention of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and age-associated cognitive decline. People feel good about eating fruit!


• Easy to Cultivate — Best New and Time-tested Varities. From the farmer's and gardener's perspective, berries and other fruits are easier to grow than ever before. New varieties, production practices, tools and supplies are increasing options for growers in every region. With proper site selection and preparation, many fruits (especially brambles, blueberries, and rhubarb) are easy to grow and need minimal maintenance throughout the growing season. Berries are popular crops for the hoophouse, for example, because protection from wind and rain produces extraordinary yields of high-quality fruits. And plastic and paper mulches reduce the need for year-round weeding of these perennial plants.


• Johnny's Fruit Selection Fills All Your Harvest Niches. Although many berry plants need 1 to 3 years after planting to reach full fruitbearing productivity, the wait is well worthwhile, and there are some newer fruit varieties that bear earlier to fill in the gaps. Our fruit varieties are selected to provide for a wide harvest window — refer to our Season-long Fruit Harvest Charts, below, for the details. And because Johnny's offers plants in small quantities, growers can trial various commercial varieties without a big upfront expenditure.


• Bottom-Line Benefits. Home gardeners save money by growing their own fruit. Commercial growers can charge a premium for fresh, ripe fruits. Strawberry plants from seed can be grown for pack or sales. Seascape strawberry plants are great for hanging baskets and container sales. Plus, fruit not only adds visual attraction to farmstand offerings, it's a key ingredient for making value-added products (such as blueberry jam) to be sold or consumed at any time of year.