7 Best Books on Growing Fruit Trees Will Change How You Garden
Fruit trees are an excellent addition to your yard, but growing them can also feel daunting when you’re new to fruit growing.
The good news is you don’t need a large yard to grow fruit…
With some careful planning, you can grow productive fruit trees in even the smallest backyard.
While some fruit trees are low maintenance and easy to grow, others can be more complicated.
So before you grab a shovel and start digging holes, it pays to spend some time learning about the basics of growing fruit trees.
And the best way to learn is by cultivating your own fruit-growing library.
Keep reading to discover my picks for the top books on fruit trees.
Heads up: I’ll earn a small commission if you buy something after clicking a link in this post. I only link to products I’d recommend to my best friend.

Best books on fruit trees for U.S and U.K. growers.
The Fruit Gardener's Bible: A Complete Guide to Growing Fruits and Nuts in the Home Garden (Amazon link)
By Lewis Hill and Leonard Perry (For U.S. Growers)
If you’re crazy about fruit or want to grow enough to feed your family, this is the book for you.
It’s an essential resource for anyone who gardens and wants to grow fruit.
From small-scale growing to setting up a complete fruit farm, The Fruit Gardener's Bible (Amazon link) is a comprehensive guide to growing delicious, organic fruit at home (but not citrus fruit).
It covers everything from choosing the best varieties for your area to planting, pruning, and harvesting a bountiful crop.
- In this guide, you’ll learn how to plant and prune fruit trees and everything you need to know to grow sweet, juicy berries and grapes.
- The Fruit Gardener's Bible (Amazon link) also discusses soil management, pest control and the many fruiting plants that thrive in North American growing conditions.
- Covering both organic and non-organic approaches, this book is full of charts, graphs, and tables that will help you get the maximum fruit from your garden.
Even if you grow only a small amount of fruit, this book will meet your needs.
You’ll understand why certain varieties thrive in different parts of North America, how to maintain your trees with minimal work, and how to choose the right varieties for your garden.
Note: this book does NOT cover citrus trees. But it’s an overall handy guide for the fruit-growing novice!
Related: Discover the best books on pruning.
Books for small space gardens.
Grow a Little Fruit Tree: Simple Pruning Techniques for Small-Space, Easy-Harvest Fruit Trees (Amazon link)
By Ann Ralph
A backyard fruit tree is a thing to be proud of.
Yet, most backyards are too small to accommodate standard fruit trees.
So how does the small-space gardener include a fruit tree in their patch?
Even if you’ve never picked an apple from a tree, you’ll learn everything you must know to grow and maintain a variety of compact fruit trees, even in your small-scale yard.
Beginners or experienced growers will find Grow a Little Fruit Tree (Amazon link) a straightforward introduction to the basics of growing small-scale fruit trees.
- It includes clear and concise pruning techniques for keeping trees under 6′ tall.
- This makes for better fruit that’s easier to pick and adds variety to your harvests.
- Each fruit tree profiled in this book is appropriate for a small garden. They can be pruned into a beautiful shape and will produce sizable amounts of fruit each year.
Inside, you’ll learn:
- when to prune
- proper pruning techniques to keep fruit trees small and manageable
- how to implement a timed pruning plan
- how to follow a set of simple maintenance guidelines
Even in the smallest of spaces, with the help of this book, you too can grow your own fruit!
Books on fruit trees for organic growers.
Fruit Trees for Every Garden: An Organic Approach to Growing Apples, Pears, Peaches, Plums, Citrus, and More (Amazon link)
By Orin Martin and Manjula Martin
Great for anyone who wants to grow fruit organically but doesn’t know where to start, Fruit Trees for Every Garden (Amazon link) is the first gardening book you’ll read from start to finish.
It covers every topic that a beginning fruit grower could imagine.
Pioneering organic orchardist Orin Martin takes you through every aspect of planning, planting, and caring for a productive fruit orchard.
It’s the handy reference book you’ll return to again and again for new ideas and fresh inspiration.
- Martin makes a compelling case for organic gardening and shows gardeners what it means to be an organic orchardist.
- He discusses how to plan and layout your site and describes the appropriate climate, soil preparation, site drainage, and weed control techniques.
- He covers all the steps necessary to establish a lush, productive, and thriving orchard.
Fruit Trees for Every Garden (Amazon link) offers a straightforward approach to:
- where to purchase trees
- which trees to select for your yard
- how and when to prune and fertilize
- protecting trees from pests
- irrigation
- dealing with less-than-ideal soil conditions
Because this book covers a lot of ground, you’ll quickly discover the answers to questions you didn’t even know to ask.
And you’ll get lots of tips on how to keep your new trees healthy and productive.
It’s the only fruit tree book you’ll ever need, and it’s a must-have for any organic backyard orchardist!
Share your pick for the best fruit tree book!
Did I miss any great books?
What do you think is the best fruit tree book? Let me know in a comment below!
I am a small scale fruit tree farmer (100 trees and growing) and these are the three best books I have found on the subject (so far). I really wish I had these books when I started my farm.