The window for planting bare-root fruit trees runs from late fall through to early spring, usually November to March. It pays to plan ahead, though, and order your top choices early to avoid disappointment.
Popular varieties tend to sell out quickly. As retailers open orders for bare-root fruit trees and bushes in October, you can secure yours and enjoy many years of glorious homegrown fruit. Some classic, dependable apple, pear, peach, and cherry varieties are sought-after as budget-friendly bare-root plants.
Buying and planting early in the window helps, as it gives the roots time to settle and be primed to grow when spring arrives. Here are our picks for some of the most popular bare-root fruit trees to order in October and get ahead of the rush. Once your tree arrives, you can plant it straight away, as long as the ground is not frozen or waterlogged. If you’ve got lots of planting ahead, this stainless steel border spade at Amazon is perfect for the job.
1. Apple
Thousands of different apple tree varieties exist. A good range of bare-root apples is available each year, and they fall into one of three groups: for eating, for cooking, or for cider. Don’t be confused by the choice; consider the characteristics, taste, and size when picking.
You can find an apple tree to grow for any desire or space. For example, a ‘Honeycrisp’ is a popular American apple variety for eating fresh, while ‘Fuji’ stores well for a long time, and ‘Granny Smith’ is a classic cooking apple.
Popular varieties like ‘Honeycrisp’, ‘Gala’, and ‘Fuji’ are always in high demand each bare-root season. You can get a bare-root ‘Honeycrisp' apple tree at The Home Depot that is hardy in zones 3-8 and naturally compact.
Modern apple trees are grafted onto rootstocks to control their size – so you can get compact trees suited to smaller home gardens. Whatever you choose, plant an apple tree in well-drained, fertile soil somewhere it gets sun but is sheltered from the elements.
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2. Pear
Homegrown pears offer a flavor and juiciness that surpass any pears you buy in stores. If you want to grow a pear tree at home, you can get self-fertile varieties, but any tree will do better with a compatible second variety. Pears are classed into four pollination groups, so you need a compatible variety that flowers at the same time to get a pear tree to fruit.
The most popular pear trees across the US are ‘Bartlett’, ‘Kieffer’, and ‘Bosc’. These classic European pears need to be picked early and brought indoors to ripen. However, for something a bit different, Asian pears such as ‘Hosui’ or ‘Shinko’ can be eaten straight from the tree.
You can get a bare-root dwarf ‘Bartlett’ pear tree at The Home Depot to grow in zones 5-8, but it needs a compatible tree to fruit.
The best spot to grow a pear tree is sunny and sheltered. The tree needs fertile, well-drained soil. After you plant the tree, mulch around it with compost, bark, or wood chips, like this organic premium wood mulch on Amazon.
3. Peach
Growing peaches remains popular in warmer southern climates, where growers can enjoy the beautiful spring blossoms and soft, juicy summer harvests. The sun-loving fruit trees need a warm, bright spot where they can bask in at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily.
Popular peach varieties include the widely planted ‘Redhaven’ and the American ‘Elberta’ peach. For growers in colder climates, ‘Reliance’ is a dependable option that tolerates colder temperatures and blooms later in the season.
You can get a bare-root ‘Elberta’ peach tree at The Home Depot.
A key part of getting a peach tree to fruit is providing the right number of ‘chill hours’ – a set period of cold during dormancy. Before planting a peach tree, check the amount of ‘chill hours’ you can provide in your climate and pick a variety accordingly. Get it wrong, and your harvest will be reduced.
After planting trees, consider installing tree guards to protect the trunk from being nibbled by rabbits, deer, rodents, or any other unwanted pests. You can get a pack of easy-to-install spiral tree guards at Amazon.
4. Plum
Plums are another fruit tree where different types fall into categories, namely dessert, culinary, or dual-purpose plums. That makes it important to consider how you’ll use them when choosing between types of plum trees. As with others, while self-fertile varieties allow a crop with just one tree, you’ll always get a better crop with a pollination partner.
The popular plums include ‘Santa Rosa’, ‘Methley’, and ‘Stanley’. ‘Santa Rosa’ is a dessert plum and a cultivar of the Japanese plum that produces sweet red-skinned fruits with yellow flesh. You can enjoy these fruits fresh from the tree, or use them in jams, jellies, or puddings. It is a really versatile variety and a great starting choice for anyone who wants to grow a plum tree. You can get a bare-root dwarf ‘Santa Rosa’ plum tree at The Home Depot.
Plant a plum tree in a sunny spot that is protected from strong winds. They require fertile, well-draining soil. If you have heavier soil, add organic matter (such as this bag of compost and manure at Walmart) to help improve drainage.
5. Cherry
Cherry trees offer a double treat with stunning spring blossoms followed by abundant summer harvests. If you want to grow a cherry tree, many varieties are available as bare-root trees during the dormant months. You just need to decide what type works best for you and your space.
That includes choosing between sweet and sour. Sweet cherries can be eaten straight from the tree, while sour cherries are for baking or preserves. Among the range of cherries, there are also self-fertile and compact varieties that open up opportunities for small gardens and growing fruit trees in pots.
‘Bing’ remains one of the most popular cherry trees, producing the classic dark-red sweet cherry. You can get two bare-root ‘Bing’cherry trees at The Home Depot.
If you have a smaller space but want to plant a cherry tree, ‘Lapins’ is a self-fertile variety that will produce a good harvest on its own. You can also get a bare-root semi-dwarf ‘Lapins’ cherry tree at The Home Depot.
6. Apricot
Apricot trees evoke images of hot summers, but modern varieties are now adapted to thrive in cooler climates. This means anyone in US hardiness zones 5-8 can grow an apricot tree, provided they pick one suited to their climate.
There are also opportunities for growing apricots indoors in a greenhouse or training them against a south-facing wall to take advantage of the extra warmth to provide the perfect environment to get an apricot tree to fruit.
The most popular apricot is ‘Blenheim’. It is the classic summer apricot with orange flesh and a sweet-tart flavor. This variety is suited to warmer climates as it flowers early and doesn’t need a high amount of ‘chill hours’ to fruit. You can get a bare-root two-year-old dwarf ‘Blenheim’ apricot tree at The Home Depot.
Growers in colder regions can opt for ‘Goldcot’, a cold-hardy variety that blooms later. When you harvest apricots from a ‘Goldcot’ tree, they can be baked, cooked, dried, or just enjoyed as a snack. You can also get a dwarf ‘Goldcot’ apricot tree at The Home Depot.
What to Shop
October always offers an ideal opportunity to plant lots of varied additions into your garden. The warm, moist soil in fall means there are many things you can plant in October, including spring bulbs, hardy perennials, trees, and shrubs.
As long as the ground is not frozen or waterlogged, there is a lot of potential for planting, and your new additions should have time to get settled before winter arrives.
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