For gardeners looking to stretch their food dollar, fruit gardening can offer one of the highest returns on the effort invested. To help guide and educate green thumbs (and wanna-be green thumbs) toward many fruitful harvests, Stella Otto has launched The Backyard Fruit Gardener, an interactive Web site. Otto is a fruit grower and horticulturist as well as the award-winning author of two books: the Backyard Orchardist and the Backyard Berry Book.
The Backyard Fruit Gardener is a subscription-based site, which allows gardeners the opportunity to e-mail questions and challenges with their fruit garden and receive answers and advice from Otto. Questions are archived and accessible to subscribers. In addition, subscribers can:
- access fruit specific links with photos to help identify pests and diseases
- receive periodic how-to articles and newsletters on timely fruit garden techniques
- find nursery sources for tried and true as well as novelty fruit plants and varieties
- view book reviews of other fruit gardening resources
- connect to other fruit gardening enthusiasts
