Fruit farming is a lucrative agribusiness that provides farmers with a steady income. Despite the growth in the fruit farming sector, some myths and misconceptions have been revolving around it. These range from sustainability to poor productivity, little space, the harmful impact of chemical application, climate change, organic farming, and no time. At times, these myths make new, upcoming, and some established farmers believe that fruit farming is losing its shine despite its booming markets and increasing demand. Here are five myths and misconceptions about fruit farming that you should know:

Mostly, people think that they need a huge garden or a lot of space to grow fruits and vegetables. However, this is not the case. You can get creative and make use of your small space to small space, whether it's your garden, patios, or even on balconies and indoors, and grow a few fruits. Alternatively, you can grow fruits such as strawberries in vertical gardens. Be selective about what you grow and understand the plant's needs. Dwarf fruit varieties of trees like avocado and citrus, for instance, are highly productive, and you can grow them even on balconies and patios. Besides, you are not limited to growing a specific number of trees. You can plant even a few trees that fit in your space.

You may think that since they are restricted from using certain pesticides and chemicals, organic gardens do not leave any carbon footprint. However, organic farmers have to employ a few conventional farming methods and may visit the farms using fossil fuel-powered equipment to produce healthy and marketable produce. This way, they also contribute to the carbon footprint. When conventional farms employ sustainable and green energy practices in their orchards, they cut their carbon footprint significantly. This means farmers will have less impact on the environment and still produce healthy, delicious, and marketable fruits.

The demand for organically-produced fruits has been increasing, fueling the need for organic fruit production. Despite the high demand, farmers think that organic farming is limited to small-scale. This is not the case as small-scale and large-scale growers can engage in organic farming and commercially grow their desired fruits. Currently, organic fruits sell at competitive prices in the local and export markets.

As a farmer, the last thing that you would want is to grow a crop that takes too much of your time. In some cases, people think that fruit trees require too much time, care, and resources to produce optimum yields. However, fruit farming requires less time and care and can be properly done as a side hustle compared to other crops such as tomatoes and vegetables. For instance, if you grow Hass avocado, all you need is to plant the trees well with proper spacing, apply enough water and manure, use fertilizers at the specified rates, control pests and diseases on time, and prune the tree, and you are good to go.

Although they have different growing requirements, fruit trees can perform well in most parts of the country. In drier areas, they can be put under irrigation. When growing them in windy areas, you can create barriers or plant windbreakers to shield your plants from harsh winds. Alternatively, you can grow them in shade nets or greenhouses, especially for fruits such as strawberries. Also, fruit trees are not limited to specific seasons. You can grow them during the cold or hot season. Fruit farming is a year-round endeavour, and you can produce delicious, pleasing, and high-quality fruits at any time of the year.

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