In Boise, we had an Apricot tree that did very well. A neighbor had two peach trees. I have apple trees and they seem healthy.

Across the street I have a neighbor with a black walnut tree and it's huge.

I have strawberries and raspberries growing. I will attempt blueberries but that could take a couple of years.

I should add that I had an excellent crop of muskmelon, too.

Like idaho_gardener, I live in Boise. I have strawberries (alpine, junebearing, and everbearing), grapes, blueberries, peaches, apples, and cherries. This year I am adding raspberries and currants. So far, I have only gotten fruit from the strawberries as the others were still too young, but they are all very healthy and some should start producing this year (I'm very excited).

I know Idaho Falls is colder than Boise (see link below), so cold hardiness might be an issue for some things. You can probably grow everything on my list, but you might have to be careful which cultivars you select. Some of my grapes would not make it through your winters, but there are grape cultivars that will. Idaho is a great place to grow fruit as we don't have a lot of the disease problems more humid parts of the country deal with.

idaho_gardener: Do you spray your apples? If so, what do you use? So far, I have only used dormant oil on my fruit trees as they have not yet set any fruit. They are disease free and healthy, but I am hoping to get fruit this year and not sure what insect pressures we have here in Boise. The U of I has some good documentation, but I'd like to hear of some first hand experience also. I tried growing muskmelon and watermelon 2 years ago, but squash bugs destroyed them. Last year they also destroyed my zucchini and cucumbers, so I am about to give up on those types of vines. I don't have any other insect pests at all... but the squash bugs drive me crazy!

Here is a link that might be useful: Idaho Hardiness Zones

backyardener, I'm afraid my apple trees, though productive, don't have very good apples and I ignore them, using the fruit for the compost bin. I may try to tend them better this year, but the apples tend to be tasteless.

I must have gotten lucky with the squash bugs. Although one of my melon plants died, the other was quite productive. I think that row covers are used when squash bugs are too active.

There's a truck garden on Chinden just past Garrett that grows acres of melons. I wonder what they are doing for the bugs.

Western Sand Cherry (Prunus besseyi) is a neat native Idaho fruit-bearing plant.

It needs to be cross-pollinated to produce fruit; so plant at least two.

I believe that they can also pollinate late-blooming plums.

They are tough plants and drought tolerant once established.

You can eat the fruit out of hand, but I think most believe prefer to make them into preserves.

Cover plants with netting because birds love these plants.
The University of Idaho Research Nursery used to sell these, but I don't know if they are offered this year.

Wow! Hot tip. Thank you.

Thank you - I keep waiting for native food plants to become a new garden trend, but it hasn't happened yet! I'm new to learning about native plant gardening, so it's fun to pass along the little tidbits I find out.

We moved into a new home - no landscaping except for some grass in the front and a tree I cannot identify yet. Clean slate to experiment with combining native and non-native plants.

Native gardening in Boise would pretty much limit me to sage brush and tumbleweed... :-)

Boise is a lot warmer than Idaho Falls. I am thinking that Mckintosh and Johnathon apples would grow well there. Nanking bush cherries as well. They are mostly pit, but have a very good cherry taste. You should also be able to grow a small plum and if you contact Arbor Day foundation, they have Hazel nut bushes that should grow in your zone. I would go to one of your favorite box stores, buy some hardy fruit trees, plant them, care for them, sing to them or whatever and save the receipts in a drawer. If they live, hooray. If they don't, dig them up within a years time and return them and try another type. Other than time and effort, you are not out of your money. Walmart, Home Depot and Lowes guarantee their trees for a year, no questions asked if you keep the receipt. I bet you could even try a bartlet pear tree. Good luck bobitybob.