One of the gardener's greatest delights is savoring homegrown fruit. There is no comparison between fruit bought at the market and fruit picked fresh from the gardener's own tree. Imagine biting into a warm, fragrant peach, the sweet juice bursting in your mouth and so abundant that it drips.

I almost missed having those experiences in my garden since I managed to kill at least half a dozen trees over a couple of winters in Calistoga. I have since learned some tricks in planting bare-root trees, and my replanted trees now give me fruit that I swoon over.

Bare-root fruit, nut and berry plants should be available in local nurseries now. Ideally, you have already prepared your planting holes and covered them with plastic to prevent rain from saturating them, so you don't have to work in soggy soil.

The preferred planting method for fruit trees is mound planting. It is especially helpful in improving growth and reducing root and crown rot.

The crown is the transitional section where the trunk splits into roots, and it is the most fragile part of the tree. It should be kept as dry as possible, especially during the spring when the tree is leafing out. Mound planting keeps the crown dry above the soil line by preventing water from pooling at the crown.

First, some do's and don'ts for bare-root planting:

* Do not plant the tree in a basin.

* Do not dig a large hole and fill it with heavily amended soil. This creates a pot-like situation. The roots will want to remain in this ideal spot where the living is easy instead of pushing outwards into the native soil.

* Don't allow the roots of your bare-root tree to dry out before planting. Keep roots moist in organic matter or buried in a shallow trench until time to plant. Then place the tree in a bucket of water until it goes into the soil.

* Do check the soil a few days before planting, and if it's dry, water thoroughly. Prepare the soil by digging a hole about 4 feet by 4 feet and just deep enough to break up any compacted areas. You can replace 10 to 20 percent of the soil with well-composted manure or organic material. Do not add fertilizer until the tree is growing well.

* Do cut off any twisted, broken or girdling roots. If roots look rotted or have the warty growths known as crown gall, which is caused by a bacterial infection, return the tree to the nursery. Don't over-prune the roots.

* Do hold the tree upright by the trunk and rotate it so that the flat portion of the bud union, where the tree was grafted to the rootstock, faces north, away from the full force of the sun on the south. Place the tree in the prepared hole and pull soil from the surrounding area around the roots to form a mound. The objective is to form a ditch around the mound that will provide drainage during the winter and aid in watering in the spring and summer.

* After planting, cover the mound with compost, wood chips or other mulch material, keeping all mulch two feet from the trunk. The organic covering will keep weeds down and also provide nutrients as it decomposes.

* Do paint the lower two-thirds of the tree trunk with a mixture of equal parts white interior latex paint and water. This coating protects the trunk from sunburn and from attacks of the Pacific flat head borer.

Most gardeners want their trees to bear fruit within arm's reach. To get low branch formation on the main trunk, cut off the top of the tree two feet from the ground (a practice known as heading or topping). New vigorous branching will occur within 6 to 8 inches of where you made the heading cut. If you cut higher, the main branch development and fruit production will occur higher. If any lateral branches are closer than 2 feet to the ground, prune them back to two buds.

This training system is also referred to as the open center or vase training system. It creates an upside-down pyramid with an open center. It is the most common approach to training young apricot, cherry, nectarine, peach, pear and plum trees.

For more guidance on planting and caring for fruit trees, attend the Napa County Master Gardeners' free workshop in Napa today and in St. Helena on Jan. 20. Info, groups.ucanr.org/mgnapa/index.cfm or 253-4221.

Napa County Master Gardeners (www.mastergardeners.org) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to noon, at the UC Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Ave., Suite 4, Napa, 253-4221, or toll-free at 877-279-3065. E-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on the Web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions?