If you want to save money while eating better fruit than you can buy, the simple answer is to grow a selection of fruits and berries suited to your climate. You don’t have to worry about spray residues on raspberries or pears you grew yourself using organic methods, and the purity issue carries over into the kitchen, too. From apple jelly to blackberry wine, stocking your pantry with treasures made from homegrown fruits is serious fun for self-provisioning gardeners.
Selected fruits can do double duty in the landscape, for example you might use a thicket of prickly blackberries or raspberries as a deer-deterrent hedge, or let a pair of dwarf cherry trees anchor an ornamental bed in a sunny front yard. Strawberries are often happy to grow on slopes or along the base of a fence, and you can use grapes as arbor plants to create shade during the summer months.
Where should you begin? Berries make fabulous foundation plants in an edible landscape and often begin bearing at a young age, so start by finding sweet spots for these forgiving plants. Next, move on to tree fruits, and check with your extension service for tree fruits recommended for your area. Plant the best adapted, most disease-resistant cultivars you can find. With a solid investment of follow-up care and patience, you will soon be enjoying the best fruits in the world.