Freshly picked fruit from our own garden tastes particularly good. So that you can find the right tree for you and your family, we present the 18 best species for the garden plus the most popular varieties.
In a nutshell
- Apples are the most commonly grown fruit in German gardens
- numerous varieties in different growth heights
- Almost all fruit trees are available in different growth forms
- for small gardens, dwarf forms and varieties grafted on weak rootstocks are well suited
- Sweet cherries and walnut trees, each of which can grow up to 20 meters high, require a particularly large amount of space
18 fruit trees for each garden
Every child knows apple and pear trees. But have you ever tried such delicious types of fruit as plums, medlars or nashi pears? We present these and other fruit trees suitable for small and large gardens here.
pome fruit
The various fruit trees are botanically divided into pome and stone fruit. Pome fruit is fruit that has a - usually five-chambered - core housing inside. This contains the seeds, which you can use to propagate the tree.
Tip: Many fruit trees can grow very tall and develop wide crowns. If you have a small garden or would like to harvest fruit from your own balcony, it is therefore better to use low-growing varieties: dwarf fruit, columnar fruit and low trunk heights (e.g. bush trees, spindles) are also suitable for limited planting areas.
Apple (Malus domestica)
- Location and soil: sunny location, loamy and nutrient-rich soil
- Growth and size: available in different sizes, from small columnar trees to tall standard trees
- Special features: most popular fruit, huge selection of varieties, especially late-ripening apples often store well
- Pollination: every apple tree needs a suitable pollinator variety that flowers at the same time
- Fruit ripening and harvest time: depending on the variety between August and October
- Use: Eating fresh, storing apples or for preserving / preserving
- Popular varieties: 'Elstar' (sour), 'Gravensteiner' (sweet, very aromatic summer apple), 'Geflammter Kardinal' (sour, very old and proven variety), 'Danziger Kantapfel' (also 'Berner Rosenapfel', juicy, rich in fruit ), 'Golden Delicious' (winter apple, can be stored very well, sweet and juicy), 'White Clear Apple' (ripens from the end of July, tart and juicy)
Pear (Pyrus communis)
- Location and soil: full sun and warm, humus-rich and loamy soil
- Growth and size: Pear trees are naturally strong and can grow very tall, but there are also varieties for small gardens that have been grafted onto small stem forms
- Special features: Pear trees are very well suited for training on a trellis
- Pollination: Pollinator variety required
- Fruit ripening and harvest time: depending on the variety between August and October
- Use: Pears can be stored for a maximum of four weeks, so eat them fresh or for cooking/canning
- Popular cultivars: 'Kaiser Alexander' (winter pear, juicy and sweet), 'Rote Williams Christ' (summer pear, sweetish-aromatic), 'Albertine' (autumn pear, very juicy and sweet)
Quince (Cydonia oblonga)
Quince, Cydonia oblonga
- Site and soil: full sun and warm, well-drained and humus-rich soil, fresh to moist
- Growth and size: depending on the variety and trunk height, small to medium-sized tree, can grow quite sprawling
- Special features: one of the rarely cultivated types of fruit, fruit trees produce fruit that is very rich in vitamins and aromatically fragrant
- Pollination: almost all varieties are self-fertile, but the pollinator tree produces a higher yield
- Fruit Ripening and Harvesting: Fruit ripens very late between October and November
- Use: raw fruits inedible, very suitable for preserving and preserving (quince jelly, quince liqueur, etc.)
- Popular cultivars: apple quince, pear quince
stone fruit
In contrast to pome fruit, stone fruit types do not have several, but only a single, larger seed core.
Tip: For those who cannot decide between different trees, duo trees with two to three different varieties on one tree are a good solution.
Apricot (Prunus armeniaca)
Source: apple2000, Apricot tree05, Edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Site and soil: full sun and warm, loose, well-drained and humus-rich soil
- Growth and size: small tree about five to six meters tall, rounded crown
- Special features: well suited for small gardens with lots of sun and a sheltered location
- Pollination: self-fertile, but second pollinator tree increases yield
- Fruit ripening and harvest time: August
- Use: Eating fresh or for preserving / preserving, juicy and sweet fruits
- Popular cultivars: 'Bergeron' (large fruits), 'Armi-Col' (pillared apricot), 'Orangered' (sweet and aromatic)
Mirabelle plums (Prunus domestica subsp. syriaca)
- Location and soil: sunny to semi-shady, soil rich in nutrients, loose and moist
- Growth and size: fast-growing tree
- Special features: closely related to plums and damsons, but round, yellow fruits
- Pollination: usually self-fertile, but a second pollinator tree increases the yield significantly
- Fruit ripening and harvest: early to mid-September
- Use: fresh consumption and processing (e.g. compote, jam, liqueur)
- Popular cultivars: 'Mirabelle von Nancy' (very old variety with high yield), 'Ruby' (red columnar plum)
Plum and damson (Prunus domestica)
- Location and soil: sunny and warm, soil rich in nutrients, humus and moist
- Growth and size: depending on the variety and rootstock, growth height between four and eight meters
- Pollination: Plums are mostly self-pollinating, but the yield is better with a second pollinator
- Fruit ripening and harvest time: depending on the variety between July and October
- Use: Plums and damsons cannot be stored, eaten fresh or for preserving / preserving (e.g. for plum jam)
- Popular cultivars: 'Katinka' (early ripening, very aromatic), 'Cacaks Schöne' (medium early, sour taste, very productive), 'Hanita' (sweet, very robust, ripens from the end of August)
Peach and nectarine (Prunus persica)
- Location and soil: sunny and warm, soil rich in humus and well drained
- Growth and size: small tree with a loose crown, up to about five meters tall
- Special features: thrives best in a wine-growing climate, nectarines are a hairless variant of the peach
- Fertilization: usually self-fertile
- Fruit ripening and harvest: August to September, depending on the variety
- Use: Fresh consumption and processing (e.g. compote, jam, etc.)
- Popular cultivars: 'Kernechter vom Vorgebirge' (slightly sour, aromatic), 'Revita' (sweet), 'Plate Peach' (flattened fruits, small trees)
Sour cherry/sweet cherry (Prunus cerasus)
Prunus cerasus, sour cherry
- Site and soil: sunny to semi-shady, loose and nutrient-rich soil
- Growth and size: remain significantly smaller than sweet cherries, average height between four and six meters
- Special features: are more robust and less demanding than sweet cherries
- Pollination: most varieties are self-fertile
- Fruit ripening and harvest: depending on the variety between the end of May and the beginning of August, the harvest period is given in cherry weeks
- Usage: Eating fresh or for preserving / preserving, cannot be stored
- Popular cultivars: 'Carnelian' (sweet and sour, large fruits), 'Jade' (mildly sour, high-yield)
Sweet cherry (Prunus avium)
Prunus avium, wild cherry, sweet cherry
- Location and soil: full sun and warm, soil rich in nutrients, loose and slightly sandy
- Growth and size: can be up to 20 meters high and very sprawling, in small gardens give way to sour cherries or columnar cherries
- Special features: are very sensitive to climate and location, need a lot of space
- Pollination: require pollinator species
- Fruit ripening and harvest time: depending on the variety between the end of May and the end of July / beginning of August, ripening time is given in cherry weeks (between 1 and 8 - very early to late)
- Usage: Eating fresh or for preserving / preserving, cannot be stored
- Popular cultivars: 'Burlat' (dark red, sweet early variety), 'Regina' (late ripening, sweet and very large fruits), 'Buttners Rote Knortielkirsche' (late, yellow-red fruits, very old variety), 'Hedelfinger Riesenkirsche' ( dark red, very large fruits, aromatic)
nuts/nuts
At this point, many a reader will rub their eyes in amazement, but in fact, from a botanical point of view, nuts and nuts are also fruit trees.
Chestnuts (Castanea sativa)
Source: Dinkum, Chataignier - Loire et Cher 2, Edited by Plantopedia, CC0 1.0
- Site and soil: sunny to semi-shady, nutrient-rich soil with an acidic pH value, intolerant of lime
- Growth and size: Sweet chestnut trees grow up to 25 meters high, only for large gardens with enough space
- Fertilization: always plant 2 to 3 trees together, since the male and female flowers of a tree bloom at different times
- Fruit ripening and harvest time: September to November
- Use: popular as roasted nuts, for soups and fillings
- Popular cultivars: 'Marlhac' (very robust new breed), 'Marsol' (strong, robust), 'Marigoule', 'Bouche de Bétizac', 'Tisenser' (Austrian breed)
Hazelnut (Corylus avellana)
- Site and soil: sunny to semi-shady, loose and nutrient-rich soil
- Growth and size: as a shrub or small tree, up to seven meters high and just as wide
- Special features: native, very robust fruit, very good for hedging
- Pollination: requires a second type of pollinator
- Fruit ripening and harvest: September to October
- Use: Hazelnuts can be stored very well
- Popular cultivars: 'English Giants', 'Halle Giant Nut' (strong growth, very productive), 'Wonder from Bollweiler' (aromatic)
Almond (Prunus dulcis)
Source: Michelangelo-36, Almendras en el arbol, Edited by Plantopedia, CC0 1.0
- Location and soil: sunny to semi-shady and warm, soil rich in nutrients, humic and rather dry
- Growth and size: small, richly branched tree, average height of up to six meters
- Special features: very suitable for small, sunny gardens
- Pollination: usually self-fertile, but another almond or peach tree as a pollinator increases the yield
- Fruit ripening and harvest: late September to early October
- Popular cultivars: 'Pfälzer Fruchtalmond' (soft, sweet flesh), 'Dürkheimer Krachalmond' (large fruits)
Walnut (Juglans regia)
- Site and soil: sunny to semi-shady and warm, deep, moist and slightly sandy soil
- Growth and size: Walnut trees can grow up to 20 meters high and just as wide
- Special features: only as a solitaire in large gardens, needs a lot of space
- Pollination: Seedlings need a second pollinator tree nearby, cultivars are often self-pollinating
- Fruit ripening and harvest: between the end of September and the end of October
- Use: Walnuts can be stored very well
- Popular cultivars: 'Seifersdorfer Runde' (remains quite low, grows to about 10 meters high), 'Jupiter' (self-fertile), 'No. 139' (self-fertile)
Delicious wild fruit
If you would like to try something new, we recommend these native fruit trees: Even our grandmothers used mountain ash, cornel and co. to cook delicious, vitamin-rich spreads or delicious liqueurs. After all, nature offers a richly laid table, and insects and birds are also happy about the planting of such a tree - it feeds the animals as well as us humans.
Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia)
Rowanberry, Sorbus aucuparia
- Site and soil: sunny to semi-shady, fresh to wet soil
- Growth and size: slender, often multi-stemmed fruit trees that grow to heights of between eight and twelve metres
- Special features: valuable tree for feeding birds, very fast-growing
- Fertilization: self-fertile
- Fruit ripening and harvest: from August
- Use: Fruit is inedible raw, but can be cooked into jams or compotes
- Popular cultivars: 'Edulis' (bred specifically for human consumption)
Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas)
Cornelian cherry, Cornus mas
- Location and soil: sunny to shady, undemanding in terms of soil, likes lime
- Growth and size: large shrub or small, often multi-stemmed tree, up to approx. five meters high
- Special features: native wood, valuable insect pasture and wood for feeding birds
- Fertilization: self-fertile
- Fruit ripening and harvest: from August
- Use: as jelly, jam, fruit juice or liqueur
- Popular cultivars: 'Jolico' (particularly large fruits), 'Schönbrunner Gourmet Dirndl' (high-yield), 'Kasanlaker' (dwarf, only about 2 meters high)
Medlar (Mespilus germanica)
Source: AnRo0002, 20220918Crataegus germanica2, Edited by Plantopedia, CC0 1.0
- Location and soil: sunny to semi-shady, soil rich in nutrients, containing lime and loam, rather dry
- Growth and size: small fruit trees between four and six meters tall
- Special features: fruits can also be eaten raw after the first frost, they were already very popular with the Germanic peoples
- Pollination: self-pollinating, but a second pollinator tree ensures a higher yield
- Fruit ripening and harvest time: after the first frost
- Use: fresh consumption and processing (e.g. jelly, jam)
- Popular cultivars: 'Nottingham' (popular English variety)
Service Tree (Sorbus domestica)
Source: Haeferl, Forchtenstein - Natural Monument MA-026 - Service Tree - Leaves and (unripe) fruits, Edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 AT
- Location and soil: sunny to semi-shady, soil rich in nutrients and well drained, fresh, likes lime
- Growth and size: medium-sized tree up to ten meters tall with a rounded crown
- Special features: seldom planted type of fruit, sour-tasting fruits are often added to pear or apple cider or compote
- Fertilization: self-fertile
- Fruit ripening and harvest: September to October, store harvested fruits for 20 days, only then will they be ready to eat
- Usage: Raw consumption and processing, can be dried like raisins
Rare/exotic species
Tip: Do you like to eat oranges, tangerines, grapefruits or kumquats? In principle, the cultivation of citrus fruits is also possible with us, but the various types are not hardy and should therefore always be cultivated in buckets.
Nashi pear/Asiatic apple pear (Pyrus pyrifolia)
Source: Sage Ross, Shinseiki Asian pears at Lyman Orchards 2, 2009-08-30, Edited by Plantopedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Site and soil: sunny to semi-shady, fresh to moist soil
- Growth and size: Remains small, only up to about four meters high, but just as wide
- Special features: exotic, but also very hardy fruit trees with delicious, sweet fruit
- Fertilization: self-fertile
- Fruit ripening and harvest: August to October
- Use: fresh consumption
- Popular cultivars: 'Kosui' (robust variety), 'Nijiseiki' (rich in yield), 'Chojuro' (large fruits)
frequently asked Questions
Can I still plant fruit trees in spring?Ideally, you should plant bare-root fruit trees of robust species such as apples and pears between autumn and spring. You can even plant container goods in the garden all year round. Sensitive varieties such as peach and nectarine, which need a lot of warmth, should only be planted out in late spring or even in summer.
Which fruit tree grows fast?Sweet cherries and mountain ash are particularly fast-growing.Other fruit trees, on the other hand, grow more slowly and, especially if they are still small trees or even varieties grown from seed, it can sometimes take a few years before the first harvest. Therefore, choose older trees or grafts, they will fruit faster.
What is espalier fruit and which trees are suitable for it?Trellis fruit are fruit trees that are grown on special scaffolding along fences or walls. This cultivar is very suitable for small trees because it saves more space than a single tree. Pears are particularly suitable for this, but you can also train apples, plums, damsons and many other species to form a trellis. The only requirement is a slow-growing grafting base.