If you’re like most gardeners, waiting years for fruit trees to start producing can test your patience. Who wants to water, fertilize and prune a tree for multiple seasons before those first juicy apples or peaches arrive? Fortunately, some fruit trees mature and bear fruit more quickly than others, rewarding impatient gardeners with a harvest in just a year or two after planting.
When choosing fast-fruiting trees, focus on varieties that produce fruit at a younger age, rather than full-size mature trees. Look for dwarf or semi-dwarf rootstock, which encourages earlier fruiting. Then match the rootstock with a precocious fruit variety suited to your climate. With the right combination, you can pick bushels of fruit while the tree is still small enough to net or prune easily.
Here are 11 fast-fruiting trees perfect for impatient gardeners longing for homegrown fruit:
1. Apricots
Apricots typically start bearing fruit in their second or third year after planting. Look for self-pollinating varieties adapted to your region, as apricots can be finicky about climate.
‘Harcot’ is a cold-hardy apricot that produces full-size, sweet orange fruit in summer. It’s self-pollinating, so you need just one tree. ‘Puget Gold’ is another early producer with firm, yellow fruit perfect for eating fresh or drying into apricots.
For a very compact apricot, ‘Bonny Royal’ grows just 4-6 feet tall and wide. It bears clingstone fruit in its second year. ‘Bonny Royal’ must be pollinated by another apricot variety.
2. Plums
European and Japanese plum varieties tend to fruit in 2-3 years. Choose disease-resistant, self-pollinating types like ‘Santa Rosa’ and ‘Methley’ that flourish in a wide range of climates. The purple-skinned ‘Santa Rosa’ produces tangy, amber flesh plums in midsummer. ‘Methley’ has reddish skin and juicy, red-fleshed fruit that ripens earlier, in July.
For a dwarf plum, ‘Garden Delight’ grows just 8 feet tall and starts fruiting in year two. The sweet plums ripen in August. Its compact size makes netting and picking easy.
3. Peaches
While a standard peach can take up to five years to bear fruit, new early-cropping varieties deliver ripe peaches just one or two years after planting. ‘Garden Lady’ is a semi-dwarf peach that grows to 6 feet tall and produces sweet, yellow freestone peaches as soon as its second summer. no need to thin the fruit.
For earlier harvests, ‘Flair’ is a dwarf peach that bears white-fleshed, tasty fruit in June-July of its second year. Top delicious peaches with just 8 hours of chilling time. It only reaches 5 feet tall at maturity, ideal for small yards.
‘Bonanza’ is a semi-dwarf peach that crops heavily in year two with large, juicy peaches perfect for fresh eating, freezing or canning. This self-fertile variety grows to just 6-8 feet tall.
4. Figs
These ancient fruits are fast growers, ripening luscious manna in as little as two years. The key is planting young trees; older specimens may take longer to fruit.
Celeste is a small-scale fig that reaches 10 feet tall at maturity. Prolific and hardy, Celeste bears sweet, brown-purple fruits twice a season in zones 7-10. Breba crop ripens in early summer followed by main crop figs in late summer.
For container growing, Petite negri is an early cropping dwarf fig. This compact variety grows just 4-8 feet tall and produces flavorful dark fruits on its second year growth. Bring containers indoors for winter.
5. Cherries
Sweet and tart cherries start bearing as soon as their third or fourth year after planting. Choose self-pollinating, dwarf varieties under 8 feet tall.
North star is a sweet dwarf cherry that ripens dark red fruit in early summer. Extremely winter hardy, North star thrives in zones 4-8.
For sour pie cherries, Montmorency is a classic. This sturdy, cold-hardy dwarf grows just 8-10 feet tall and fruits heavily in its fourth year. The bright red cherries are perfect for pies, jam and other treats.
6. Citrus trees
In warm climates (zones 9-11), citrus trees bear fruit quickly, some in as little as two years. Focus on compact varieties that naturally stay under 8 feet tall.
Calamondin orange is one of the fastest fruiting citrus trees. These small trees produce abundant fruits that resemble kumquats. Tart and tangy, use calamondin oranges in marmalade, drinks and Asian recipes.
For easy peeling, satsumas ripen seedless, sweet oranges just two years after planting. They remain small, maxing out around 5-8 feet tall. Bring potted satsumas indoors in winter.
7. Apples
Full-size apple trees can take four years or more to bear fruit. For faster harvests, plant dwarf or semi-dwarf trees grafted onto size-controlling rootstocks. Many reach mature heights of just 8-10 feet.
Honeycrisp is a favorite eating apple prized for its crisp, juicy texture. Dwarf honeycrisp start bearing tasty ripe apples just two to three years after planting. These compact trees max out around 8 feet tall.
For an ultra-dwarf apple, TrixzieTM trees grow just 4-7 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide. TrixzieTM produce full-size apples on second year wood. Available in honeycrisp and other popular apple varieties.
8. Pears
European and Asian pears produce juicy fruit in three to four years when grafted onto dwarfing rootstock. Choose self-pollinating varieties adapted to your climate.
Garden pearl is a fire blight-resistant dwarf pear that grows just 8-10 feet tall. It bears flavorful yellow fruits starting in its third year.
For an ultra-compact pear, Garden Sun yields sweet, aromatic fruits on a tree just 6 feet tall and wide. The reddish pears ripen in late summer.
9. Persimmons
Brilliant orange persimmons ripen just one to two years after planting these underutilized fruits. Persimmons prefer warm climates (zones 7-10) and come in astringent and non-astringent types.
Fuyu is a popular, non-astringent persimmon that produces flattened, tomato-shaped fruits. Crisp when ripe, fuyu persimmons lack the tannins of Hachiyas and can be eaten firm. Just 8-10 feet at maturity, fuyus bear heavily in year two.
10. Pawpaws
Pawpaws produce custard-like tropical fruits in zones 5-9. Sun or part shade suits these naturally small trees, which reach just 15-20 feet at maturity.
Petite pawpaws are an early fruiting variety that bears 2-3 inch fruits as soon as year two or three. The oblong pawpaws have yellow flesh and black seeds. Plant two varieties for cross-pollination.
11. Mulberries
Technically an edible berry, mulberries grow on small, weeping trees. These hardy producers bear juicy, blackberry-like fruits as early as three years after planting.
Illinois Everbearing mulberry grows 10-15 feet tall. It fruits heavily in spring and again in fall. Use the sweet berries fresh or in pies and jams. They attract birds, so drape netting over limbs when fruits ripen.
With the right varieties, you can harvest bushels of fruit from young, compact trees while impatiently awaiting your full-size orchard to reach bearing age. By partnering early cropping varieties with dwarfing rootstocks, these fast-fruiting trees reward gardeners with ripe, homegrown goodness in just a year or two. No need to wait to enjoy fresh-picked tree fruits.
