Fruit Trees

FRUIT TREES

Apple

Generally, you need to plant two different apple varieties within 50 feet of each other to get fruit. Only Yellow Delicious will set fruit on its own. Nearby crabapples can also pollinate your apple. Like all fruits, apples prefer a sunny location. At least 6 hours of sun per day is best. Plant in well-drained soil. Apple trees (5-gallon pot) should bear a full crop of fruit 3-5 years after planting. Larger plants will bear earlier. Store the fruit just above freezing.

Cherry

Sweet cherries require a pollinator to get fruit. A different sweet cherry variety planted within 50 feet will do. Sour cherries will set fruit on their own. Cherries prefer at least 6 hours of full sun and loose well-drained soil. They do poorly in heavy, wet clay. Harvest fruit when the skin loses its greenish cast. The fruit will keep for 1-2 weeks at just above freezing.

Fig, Chicago Hardy Self-fruitful. Best in a sunny spot in well-drained, acidic soil. Add soil sulphur to help lower the pH.  The plant may die back over the winter, but still will produce fruit, only later in the season on new growth. Sweet, fine-grained medium sized fruit (mahogany colored when ripe) ripens in July on old wood, September on new growth. Excellent for growing in pots! Store in the garage over the winter.

Plum

Some plums need cross pollination. Plums prefer full sun and well-drained soil. Allow fruit to ripen fully on the tree. Plums can be stored for a short time in the refrigerator but are at their best soon after picking.

Peach

Peaches are self-fruitful, so you only need to plant one to get fruit but planting 2 different varieties will increase insect pollination and fruit production. Provide full sun and well-drained soil. Removing excess blooms so that the flowers are about 6 inches apart will allow developing fruit to grow to their fullest size and flavor potential. Two fungal diseases that may occur, peach leaf curl and brown rot, can be managed with dormant sprays in winter.

Pear

Plant two different pears to get fruit. They prefer full sun and well-drained soil. For larger pears, thin the fruit after they’re set, leaving 1 fruit per cluster. For fullest flavor, harvest fruit just as it begins to ripen (when still firm and color changes from green to light yellow-green) and allow it to finish ripening in a cool place such as an air-conditioned room or refrigerator.

Type and Name	Features	Ripens	Needs Pollinator*
Apple Semi-dwarf – 8’h x 12’w
Braeburn	Red-orange. Firm with complex sweet-tart flavor	Oct	Yes
Fireside	Red-orange. Crisp, sweet, juicy. Excellent fresh	Oct	Yes
Gala	Red. Firm and sweet with thinner skin than most	Sep	Yes
Honeycrisp	Red-orange. Large, super sweet, creamy and juicy	Sep	Yes
Red Delicious	Red. Firm with mild sweet flavor	Oct	Yes
Triple Play	Cortland, Honeycrisp, Sweet Sixteen	Sep-Oct	No
Yellow Delicious	Yellow. Self-fruitful, excellent pollinator	Oct	No
4-in-1 Combo	Fuji, Gala, Honeycrisp, Yellow Delicious	Sep-Oct	No
Apple Columns Great for the space-challenged and growing in pots – 10’h x 2-4’w
Golden Sentinel	Yellow Delicious	Oct	No
North Pole	MacIntosh. Red. Sweet and juicy	Sep	Yes
Scarlet Sentinel	Red Delicious	Oct	Yes
Cherry Standard – 18’h x 25’w
Sour North Star	Red-black. Excellent for pies and preserves	Jun-Jul	No
Sour Sweet Cherry Pie	Red. New sweeter pie cherry!	Jun-Jul	No
Sweet Bing	Red-black. Firm and juicy. Superb eating!	Jun-Jul	Yes
Sweet Black Tartarian	Red-black. Dark red, juicy flesh with rich flavor	Jun-Jul	Yes
Sweet Stella	Red-black. Firm, with good flavor and texture	Jun	Yes
Peach Standard – 18’h x 25’w
Contender	Yellow-red. Late-blooming, large sweet fruit	Aug	No
Reliance	Yellow. Very hardy. Fruit is soft so pick carefully	Jul-Aug	No
Pear Standard – 18’h x 25’w
Anjou	Green. Firm texture makes it ideal for cooking	Aug-Sep	Yes
Bartlett	Yellow. Firm, sweet and juicy. Great fresh eating	Aug-Sep	Yes
4-in-1	Four different varieties	Aug-Sep	No
Plum
Italian Prune-Plum – 18’h x 25’w	Blue-purple. Not as sweet as most Japanese types	Sep	Yes
Santa Rosa	Red. Popular Japanese type. Sweet, fine-textured	Aug	No
Toka aka Bubblegum – 15’ x 15’	Red. Hybrid cross with sweetly spicy, juicy flesh	Aug	Yes
Espaliers
Apple Fuji	Pink-red. Crisp, sweet white flesh	Oct	Yes
Apple Gala	Red. Firm and sweet with thinner skin than most	Sep	Yes
Apple Hat Trick	Honeycrisp, Sweet Sixteen, Zestar!	Aug-Sep	No
Apple Honeycrisp	Red-orange. Large, super sweet, creamy and juicy	Sep	Yes
Apple 6-in-1	Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Honeycrisp, Red Delicious, Red Fuji, Rome	Sep-Oct	No
Pear Anjou	Green. Firm texture makes it ideal for cooking	Aug-Sep	Yes
Pear Asian 20th Century	Yellow-green. Round fruit is sweet like a pear and crisp like an apple. Good fresh and for canning	Aug-Sep	Yes
Pear Bartlett	Yellow. Firm, sweet and juicy. Great fresh eating	Aug-Sep	Yes
Pear 4-in-1	Bartlett, Comice,  Red Anjou, Red Bartlett	Aug-Sep	No
Plum 4-in-1	Four different varieties	Aug-Sep	No