When Will It Bear?
See the year each tree should start fruiting, whether it has a pollination partner, and when to pick where you live.
Add a Tree →Orchard & Perennials
Fruit and nut trees, berries, grapes and perennial beds — when each will bear, what to do each season where you live, and every pound you pick.
Orchard Calendar
Dormant pruning, oil sprays, fruit thinning and harvest seasons — timed from your own frost dates.
Open the Fruit Guide →Your free Orchard & Perennials
Keep your records in one private place — free for every registered member. Only you can see your data, and you can download it any time.
Fruit & nut guide
| Fruit | First crop | Harvest | Pollination |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple | 2–5 years | Late summer | Needs a second apple or crabapple variety that blooms at the same time. |
| Pear | 3–6 years | Late summer | Plant two varieties. Pick firm and ripen indoors. |
| Peach / nectarine | 2–4 years | Midsummer | Self-fruitful — one tree will bear. |
| Cherry | 3–5 years | Early summer | Tart cherries are self-fruitful; most sweet cherries need a pollinator. |
| Plum | 3–5 years | Midsummer | European plums are often self-fruitful; Japanese plums need a partner. |
| Apricot | 3–5 years | Early summer | Mostly self-fruitful. Blooms early — frost often takes the crop. |
| Fig | 1–2 years | Late summer | Self-fruitful. Protect from hard freezes in cold zones. |
| Persimmon | 3–5 years | Fall | American persimmons need a male tree nearby; Asian types are often self-fruitful. |
| Pawpaw | 4–6 years | Late summer | Needs two unrelated trees. |
| Mulberry | 2–3 years | Early summer | Self-fruitful. |
| Elderberry | 2–3 years | Late summer | Plant two varieties for a better crop. Cook the berries — raw ones can upset stomachs. |
| Blueberry | 3–4 years | Early summer | Two varieties give bigger berries. Needs acid soil (pH 4.5–5.5). |
| Raspberry | 1–2 years | Early summer | Self-fruitful. Fall-bearing types crop again from late summer. |
| Blackberry | 2 years | Midsummer | Self-fruitful. |
| Grape | 3 years | Late summer | Most are self-fruitful. |
| Strawberry bed | 1 year | Spring | Self-fruitful. Renew beds every 3–4 years. |
| Asparagus bed | 3 years | Spring | Pick lightly in year 2–3; stop when spears get thin. |
| Rhubarb | 2 years | Spring | Eat the stalks only — the leaves are poisonous. |
| Pecan | 6–10 years | Fall | Plant two varieties with different pollen timing. |
| Walnut | 7–10 years | Fall | Black walnut roots are toxic to tomatoes, apples and many garden plants within 50 ft. |
| Chestnut | 3–5 years | Fall | Needs two trees for nuts. |
| Hazelnut | 3–4 years | Late summer | Needs two compatible varieties. |
Years to first crop are typical for nursery trees; dwarf rootstocks bear sooner, seedlings later. Ask your extension office which varieties suit your chill hours and diseases.
Planting for the Years Ahead
Add each tree, bush, vine and perennial bed with its variety and planting date. You’ll see the year it should start bearing, a warning if it needs a pollination partner, and pruning, spraying, thinning and harvest reminders timed from your own frost dates. Log your care and your harvests — the fruit counts in your garden and pantry totals. “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season.” — Psalm 1:3