Web sites can be invaluable if you just know where to look. In a recent project, I found some terrific fruit resources every gardener should know about.
California Rare Fruit Growers is one of the best sources for information about tropical and subtropical fruits. Unlike many hort societies, this one freely gives the information to members and nonmembers alike. To get to the good stuff, follow a link called CRFG Fruit Facts.
Purdue University is also an excellent source for the same kind of information. They’ve digitized Julia Morton’s Fruits of Warm Climates, and you can go through it plant by plant, online, for free (the hard copy cost me 92 bucks!).
Bernadine Strik is the key to Oregon State University's small fruit program, and has a sheaf of web pages devoted to culture of strawberries, grapes, kiwis, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, and more.
Washington State University's Mt. Vernon Research Center has an outstanding Fruit Horticulture Program run by Gary Moulton. Go here to learn how to make hard cider, choose wine grapes, or grow just about any common or exotic fruit in the maritime Northwest. Their free, downloadable Fruit Handbook for Western Washington is especially useful. If you're willing to stop by their research farm the second Saturday in October for their Fall Fruit Field Day, you can sample apples, pears, and cider in their orchard.
