FRUIT TREES & BERRIES

Sky Nursery is here to help you succeed as you set out on the deeply rewarding journey of growing your own fruit.

Afraid you'll change your mind once you get home? We can accept returns (with receipt) for trees & shrubs up to 30 days after purchase. Plants must be unplanted, and in original container.

Feeling a little nervous about the big investment? We're proud to offer a guarantee on all Trees & Shrubs against against defects, disease and mislabeling for up to 1 year after date of purchase.

Learn more about our return policy here.

Berries related to Northwest natives tend to be the very easiest to grow here:  aronia, blackberry, blueberry, currant, elderberry, gooseberry, raspberry, and strawberry.  The easiest tree fruits are crabapples, pie cherries, plums and (full sun locations only) figs and persimmons. Other trees such as apples and sweet cherries require more care, but all varieties carried by Sky produce in the Seattle area.     

Most fruit trees consist of a fruit-producing top (called scion) grafted onto a rootstock that imparts desirable characteristics to the tree as a whole: typically dwarfing the tree (a full size apple or cherry tree might reach 30-35' tall and wide), often imparting earlier fruit production or hardiness or disease resistance.  See our blogpost on rootstocks for more information. 

Choose a high-quality organic, granulated fertilizer when you plant, and once a year thereafter. Fertilizers labeled “All-Purpose” or “Fruit Tree/Berry” will both work well.  If your soil is heavy, amend with a coarse compost; if very sandy, with a fine-textured one.  Mulch well with coarse compost after planting, and try to keep both weeds and lawn well away from the tree trunk. 

You may have heard that blueberries need acidic soil, but use caution before trying to change your soil pH. Most Pacific Northwest gardeners have naturally acidic soil that is just about perfect for blueberries as it is. We typically have to battle this natural acidity when we’re growing plants that prefer a neutral pH, such as most vegetables, by adding lime every year. But we can take a break and enjoy the perfect natural match when we grow acid-lovers like blueberries.

You can plant fruit trees anytime the ground isn’t frozen, but late winter or early spring is an ideal and traditional time. If you plant them while they’re still dormant, they’ll have a chance to settle in before growing their spring leaves. We receive most of our fruit trees for  the year in late January, so you’ll find our best selection in February.

Many berry plants will make plenty of leaves in part-shade, but unfortunately there’s just no substitute for full sun if you want to harvest lots of ripe, well-developed fruits or berries. Producing fruit takes a lot of energy, and plants are solar-powered. Give your fruit trees and berry plants as much sun as you possibly can. If sun is just not an option, there are still other edible plants you can grow in part shade.

Many fruit and berry varieties require cross-pollination from a different variety of the same fruit. Sky's fruit tree and berry lists will tell you if a plant is self-fertile or needs a pollinizer.  If it does need cross-pollination, you can always cross your fingers and hope a neighbor has an appropriate mate, but it’s best to grow multiple varieties yourself. If you have limited space, combination fruit trees are a great option. They have multiple varieties grafted onto the same root-stock, so you have all the cross pollination you need in one tree. Even if a plant is self-fertile, like some blueberries, it may still produce more fruit if you plant another variety nearby.