The LSU AgCenter has published a valuable resource guide for homeowners interested in backyard fruit and nut production. The new Louisiana Home Fruit and Nut Production handbook is filled with 84 full-color pages of useful information, including detailed information about fruits and nuts commonly grown in Louisiana, as well as those to avoid planting. The new guide contains information and recommendations that are appropriate for our growing climate and is designed to help anyone to get the right start and continue with the successful culture and maintenance of what is planted.

In addition to recommendations about common Louisiana fruits and nuts, the handbook also contains information about fruit plants that can double as attractive parts of your landscape. It also features information on choosing the right crop for your situation, selecting a site, preparing your soil, fertilizing, irrigating, and controlling pests and more.

Fruits and Nuts covered in the publication include: Apples, Apricots, Asian Pears, Avocados, Blackberries, Blueberries, Cherries, Citrus, Feijoas, Figs, Grapes, Jujubes, Kiwifruit, Loquats, Mayhaws, Muscadine Grapes, Nectarines, Olives, Passion Fruit, Pawpaws, Pears, Peaches, Pecans, Persimmons, Plums, Pomegranates, Raspberries, Strawberries, Banana, Elderberry, Mulberry, Quince, Almond, Chestnut, Black Walnut, Carpathian Walnut, Pineapple and Minor fruits and Nuts.

Available for $20 from the LSU AgCenter, the spiral-bound, 8.5-by-11-inch handbook can be ordered online. Orders also can be taken at 225-578-2263. The Louisiana Home Fruit and Nut Production handbook can provide a practical use for anyone in Louisiana interested in growing fruits and nuts in their yard. It is the ultimate guidebook that all backyard growers will want in their gardening library. Rene’ Schmit is the LSU AgCenter County Agent for St. Charles Parish and can be reached at 985-785-4473.