Greening Milwaukee

Here are some helpful resources you can use if you’re thinking of planting a fruit tree or if you already have one.

Apple Trees in Wisconsin

This website, Apple Cultivators For Wisconsin, by T.R. Roper, is an excellent guide for homeowners seeking to plant apple trees in the Milwaukee area. It caters to the specific temperature needs, geography, season, and climate of Wisconsin fruit trees. The site provides information for both home gardeners and commercial orchardists alike. It addresses pest management, ripening seasons and harvest dates, and references top notch cultivars.

The site also features a detailed list of disease-resistant apples, including apples that are immune or resistant to apple scab and cedar-apple rust, as well as other diseases. Includes perfect advice for the home grower who has minimal time to apply fungicide. Also includes links to other great information regarding care and maintenance of apple trees.

This on-line PDF file can be easily downloaded to your desktop, printed, or saved to a disk. The document offers a detailed account of apple tree planting, care, maintenance, pest control, harvesting, disease, nutrition, and weed management. It also offers a wide range of step by step illustrations to aid you in the process of planting and caring for your apple tree.

Pears in Wisconsin

This on-line PDF file provides a variety of information about growing pears in Wisconsin. Two types of pears are suited for growth in Wisconsin’s climate: “European” pears, which we are most familiar with, and “Asian” pears, shaped like apples with a delicate pear flavor. This PDF document outlines the basics of pear tree selection and growth. Here you can learn about pear flowers and fruit, site selection and preparation, rootstock selection, pruning tips, and much more. The site offers a detailed account of everything you might want to know about growing pears in your garden or orchard.

Apricots, Cherries, Peaches, and Plums in Wisconsin

This on-line site is ideal for the Wisconsin fruit grower. It offers tips for planting, fertilization, weed management, pruning and maintenance, spring frost protection, growing conditions, and other numerous elements pertaining to the growth of Apricots, Cherries, Peaches, and Plums. It also provides illustrations and a glossary of terms for amateur and advanced planters alike. This Site is a convenient and informative summation of the four fruit trees. Furthermore, it offers a detailed account that will save you the time of multiple searches.

Fruit Pathology: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Here is an excellent site for fruit growers in Wisconsin! It addresses issues for practically every fruit tree suited for our climate. Content includes research about apple and pear practices, cranberry fungicide treatments, and apple disease management. The site also features Disease Profiles and Bulletins for cranberry stem gall, plum pox, and apple disorder; apricot, cherry, peach, and plum management for home gardeners; and fruit diseases in the home garden. It further offers special topics pertaining to disease control as well as a number of informational links. These include a number of tips about grapes, strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, and elderberries.

Urban Horticulture: University of Wisconsin

This is the University of Wisconsin-Extension site offers a wealth of gardening information, featuring the most complete source of horticulture information for Wisconsin on the Internet. The site provides gardening facts, urban horticulture updates, tips for indoor and outdoor gardening, horticulture weather updates, and an alphabetical listing of pest references. You will find information about fruit and vegetable care, maintenance, disease, and pest control, as well as a plethora of links and PowerPoint presentations with detailed accounts of tree care.