Top 7 Fruit Trees with Longest Lifespans for Your Backyard Farming
Grow Your Own Fruit Garden: 8 Resilient & Delicious Trees to Fill Your Yard for Generations
A fruit-laden yard can be one of the most gratifying additions to your home. Given proper care, a mature fruit tree can yield between 400 and 800 fruits yearly, making it a profitable investment. Better yet, some fruit tree varieties have lifespans that stretch over several decades or even centuries, ensuring a lifetime of juicy treats. Below, we've compiled a list of eight resilient fruit trees recommended by top horticulturists, perfect for gardeners eager to grow their own orchard.
- Superb Pear Tree
Pears, part of the Pyrus genus, are well-known for their easy cultivation. Mike Biltonen, founder of Know Your Roots LLC, recommends this variety for a long-lasting garden. The pear tree is adorned with white or pink clustered flowers in spring, followed by dark green, leathery leaves that turn vibrant hues of red-purple, orange-red, or yellow in fall. It's said that the oldest cultivated pear tree in North America, the Endicott pear, is nearly 400 years old.
To combat fireblight, a dangerous pear tree disease, choose fireblight-resistant varieties, such as Harrowsweet, Potomac, Shenandoah, and Harrowcrisp.
- Zones: 4 to 9
- Size: 30 to 50 feet tall x 20 to 30 feet wide
- Care requirements: Full sun; well-draining soil rich in organic matter
- Lifespan: Several decades to several centuries
- Versatile Apple Tree
Apple trees, members of the Malus family, are distinguished by their oval-shaped leaves and beautiful white flowers that bloom in spring. Apple trees are sturdy, often living up to 100 years, although they perform best in their youth. Some apple tree varieties are self-fertile, while others require a compatible neighbor to fruit successfully. Recommended varieties include Arkansas Black, Liberty, Bonkers, Ashmead's Kernel, and Cordera.
- Zones: 4 to 8
- Size: 10 to 30 feet tall x 8 to 30 feet wide
- Care requirements: Full sun; well-draining soil rich in organic matter
- Lifespan: Several decades to a century
- Durable Persimmon Tree
The persimmon tree, Diospyrus virginiana, is renowned for its distinctive "alligator" bark. Its leaves are oval-shaped and turn yellow in the fall. This tree variety can live for up to 75 years, though it may endure much longer with adequate care. While many persimmon tree varieties are self-fertile, having another persimmon tree nearby can lead to larger and more consistent fruit yields.
- Zones: 4 to 9
- Size: 15 to 60 feet tall x 25 to 30 feet wide, depending on variety
- Care requirements: Full sun; well-draining soil rich in organic matter
- Lifespan: Several decades to a century
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Exceptional Mulberry Tree
The mulberry tree, Morus alba, is similar to blackberries but without the seeds. Known for its distinctive floral display, featuring small, greenish-yellow flowers arranged in drooping clusters called catkins, mulberry trees are fairly simple to grow and can thrive in various soil types. They can live for up to 100 years, given proper care and attention.
- Zones: 3 to 6
- Size: 10 to 50 feet tall x 10 to 40 feet wide
- Care requirements: Full sun; well-draining soil rich in organic matter
- Lifespan: 25 to 100 years
- Delightful Sweet Cherry Tree
Known for its sweet, edible fruit and beautiful spring blooms, the sweet cherry tree, Prunus avium, can grow at a moderate pace and live for 60 to 80 years, according to Biltonen. To enhance fruit set and improve fruit quality, cross-pollinate with a nearby tree when planting. Additionally, the sweet cherry tree produces red-brown wood and dark red to purple fruit.
- Zones: 5 to 9
- Size: 30 to 70 feet tall x 30 to 40 feet wide
- Care requirements: Full sun; well-draining soil rich in organic matter
- Lifespan: 60 to 80 years
- Alluring Apricot Tree
The apricot tree, Prunus armeniaca, is characterized by fragrant white to pink flowers that bloom before the leaves appear in spring, and fruits reminiscent of small peaches. Like the sweet cherry tree, the apricot tree can live for 60 to 80 years. Biltonen warns that varieties developed for West Coast environments will not thrive in East Coast conditions.
- Zones: 4 to 8
- Size: 15 to 30 feet tall x 15 to 20 feet wide
- Care requirements: Full sun; well-draining soil rich in organic matter
- Lifespan: 60 to 80 years
- Sweet Fig Tree
This deciduous tree, Ficus Carica, is beloved for its sweet, pear-shaped fruit and can live for over 100 years with proper care. With its smooth gray bark, palmate leaves, and rounded low-spreading canopy, the fig tree is an attractive addition to any garden. Once established, it requires minimal maintenance and thrives in a variety of soil types.
- Zones: 7 to 10
- Size: 20 to 25 feet tall x 15 to 20 feet wide (Dwarf varieties: 6 to 10 feet tall x 3 to 5 feet wide)
- Care requirements: Full sun; well-draining soil rich in organic matter
- Lifespan: Several decades to over a century
Martha Stewart might prefer the Superb Pear Tree, given its long-lasting foliage and vibrant fall colors, paired with the serene atmosphere it adds to her home's garden lifestyle. Another suitable option for her home-and-garden is the Delightful Sweet Cherry Tree, with its sweet fruit and beautiful spring blooms, ideal for her productive fruit garden.
