Editorial Policy

This page explains what FruitFarming.org publishes, where its figures come from, how they’re checked, and how mistakes get fixed.

It’s here so you can judge the guides on their evidence, not on our word.

What the site covers

FruitFarming.org is an independent reference for people who grow fruit in the United States, or plan to. Readers range from backyard growers with one apple tree to small farms selling at markets, u-pick operations, organic growers, and people weighing a fruit business.

The guides cover ten areas: getting started, tree fruits, small fruits, orchard care, soil and water, pests and diseases, organic growing, harvest and selling, home orchards, and gear.

Fruit research is public but scattered. USDA publishes national numbers, and each state’s extension service writes for its own soils, winters, and pests. We gather that research, compare it across regions, and explain it plainly, with the source and the region beside each figure.

What the site isn’t

Not a nursery. We don’t sell trees, plants, or fruit.

Not a plant diagnostic lab. Guides describe pests and diseases. They don’t identify what’s wrong with your tree.

Not pesticide advice. Product labels are legal documents, and the label decides how a product is used.

Not legal or financial advice. We explain organic rules, quarantines, produce safety, and farm loans in general terms. Your own case needs someone who can see your papers.

Not a product tester. Gear guides rely on manufacturer documentation and patterns in verified buyer feedback, and they say which is which.

Not a stand-in for local experts. Your county extension office and a certified crop adviser know your soil, your climate, and your local rules.

Where our guidance stops

A fruit planting lasts for years, so a mistake can last just as long. Four rules apply to every guide.

We describe. We don’t diagnose. A guide can explain what fire blight or apple scab looks like. A diagnostic lab or your extension office confirms what your tree has.

We publish no pesticide rates. Rates, timing, and safety steps come from the product label, which is enforceable under EPA rules. Fertilizer guidance starts from a soil test, not a one-size number.

Region comes first. Planting dates, chill hours, varieties, and pest timing change from state to state. Every guide names the region its figures come from.

Quarantines are followed. We never suggest moving plants, fruit, or trimmings out of a quarantine area. Citrus greening rules are one example, and guides say so plainly.

Who writes the guides

Four people research, write, check, and edit the site, each in a defined area. You can meet them on the About page.

Guides carry a shared Editorial Team byline because each one passes through more than one person. A single name would hide most of the work.

How topics get chosen

A topic has to clear two bars before anyone writes it.

Is someone really asking? We write for questions growers search for and send us.

Can we answer it better than the pages already out there? That usually means something specific: planting dates by region, years to first fruit by rootstock, chill-hour needs matched to varieties, or two growing systems laid out side by side.

If a topic misses either bar, it waits.

Where the information comes from

We start with the most authoritative source available and work down.

USDA agencies. NASS for production statistics, ERS for economics, APHIS for plant health and quarantines, AMS for the National Organic Program, NRCS for soil and conservation programs, and the Farm Service Agency for farm loans.

The FDA and the EPA. The FDA for the Produce Safety Rule, and the EPA for pesticide registration and labeling.

Federal rules. The Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations, read in the original.

Land-grant extension services. Matched to the reader’s region whenever possible: Illinois, UC ANR, Penn State, Oklahoma State, NC State, Missouri, Purdue, Iowa State, the University of Maine, the University of Arizona, and others.

Peer-reviewed research. Horticulture journals such as HortScience and HortTechnology, used when extension guidance doesn’t cover a question.

University variety trials. For how varieties perform in a given region.

Nursery catalogs. For a variety’s basic description only, and always labeled as the nursery’s own claims.

Manufacturer documentation. Specifications, manuals, and labels for tools and equipment.

Buyer feedback. Patterns across verified purchase reviews, used only for practical points such as how pruners hold an edge, and always labeled as owner reports.

What needs a source

Any figure that changes with the fruit, the variety, or the region names its source in the same sentence. That covers planting dates, chill hours, hardiness zones, years to bearing, spacing, yields, water needs, fertilizer guidance, pest and disease timing, quarantine and organic rules, and produce safety rules.

Costs change by region and year. When a guide gives one, it names the source and the year, or calls it a typical range from current US listings.

How figures get checked

Before a guide goes live, a second person opens every cited source, finds each figure in the original, and confirms the region it came from.

If a claim can’t be traced to a named source, it’s cut.

When sources disagree

They often do, because each extension service works with its own climate and varieties. Apple bearing age is a good example: Illinois Extension lists 4 to 6 years for standard apple trees, while Virginia Tech gives 6 to 10.

When that happens, we show both figures, name both sources, and explain what drives the difference. Averaging them would invent a number neither source published.

When the research is thin

Some questions don’t have strong published answers. Newer varieties often have few independent trial results outside the nursery that sells them. How a fruit performs in one backyard’s microclimate is another open question.

We say so when that’s the case. “The research is limited” helps a grower more than a confident guess.

How we handle rules and laws

Rules for growers change, and many differ by state. Quarantine areas expand, organic standards get updated, and produce safety rules have exemptions based on farm size.

Guides cite the federal rule by name, say when it took effect, and tell you which state office to check. When a rule changes, the guide is updated and the change is noted.

How we cover products

Gear guides follow tighter rules, because that’s where overstatement is most tempting.

• We don’t claim hands-on testing for these guides
• Specifications come from the manufacturer, not from other review sites
• Practical points from buyer reviews are labeled as owner reports
• We don’t publish prices, which change too often to stay accurate
• We don’t link to pesticides or other chemical controls
• We check tool specifications against what extension services say the job needs, such as filtration for drip kits
• We flag safety features and risks, such as ladder stability and blade guards

If a product claim can’t be documented, it’s left out.

Money and independence

Some pages carry affiliate links, and we may earn a commission when you buy through one. The details are in our affiliate disclosure.

No company pays for coverage, a rating, or a place on a list. No company sees a guide before it’s published. We don’t accept sponsored posts or paid guest posts.

Corrections and updates

Corrections. When we get something wrong, we fix it and note what changed and which source the fix came from. We never swap a number quietly.

Updates. Planting guides are reviewed each winter, before bare-root season. National statistics are refreshed after USDA’s fruit summary each May. Organic, quarantine, and produce safety pages are reviewed whenever a rule changes. Care guides are checked against their sources every year.

Reporting an error. Email the page and the figure to editor@fruitfarming.org. Tell us the fruit, your region, and the source you’re comparing against.

Growers often spot a problem before we do. A correction helps every reader, and we treat it that way.

Images

Photos show real orchards, berry fields, and vineyards. Pest and disease photos match extension references and are labeled as examples, never as a diagnosis.

We don’t show people spraying without the protective equipment a label requires, or using ladders and tools unsafely. Team photos on the About page show the real people behind the site, and no other photo presents a person as speaking for us. Charts use the same sourced figures as the guide they illustrate.

Questions about this policy

Write to editor@fruitfarming.org. If something here is unclear, tell us and we’ll fix the wording.

Last reviewed: 10/06/2026