Easiest Fruit Trees to Grow in Your Backyard

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The Easiest Fruit Trees to Grow at Home

You don’t have to own a huge orchard to enjoy fresh fruit straight from the tree. If you’re thinking about planting some trees in your yard, consider some of the easiest fruit trees to grow. Many fruit trees are low maintenance and simple to grow, which makes them perfect for gardeners of all skill levels.

Check out the amazing benefits you’ll enjoy when you plant fruit trees, and then take a look at the best fruit trees to grow in your yard.

Benefits of Growing Fruit Trees in Your Yard

There are so many wonderful reasons to plant fruit trees in your yard. Check out the amazing things you’ll enjoy when you plant some trees around your house.

Provides Free Food

Whether you’re working your way toward an urban homestead, or you’re simply trying to save money on your grocery bill, there’s no better way than having a delicious and ample supply of free fruit right in your own yard.

As your fruit trees get bigger and bigger, there’s a good chance you’ll end up with more fruit than you can eat. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways you can preserve fruit for later use, such as making jellies and jams or even freezing it.

Plus, once your fruit trees become established, they’re more likely to withstand a drought. This means they can still provide you with food even when other plants in your garden are struggling to survive.

Fresh Fruit is Healthier

Once fruits and vegetables have been picked, they immediately start losing their vitamins and nutrients. The key to getting the most vitamins and nutrients from fruits is to eat them straight from the tree. (After washing them off, of course!)

This is also one of the incredible benefits you’ll enjoy when you plant your own vegetable garden.

Plus, unlike a lot of the produce you get at the supermarket, fruits grown in your own yard won’t be sprayed with preservatives or waxes to extend their shelf life. This makes your fruit even healthier and better for you.

Decreases Your Carbon Footprint

You already know that trees absorb carbon dioxide and provide the very oxygen we need to survive, but they also do so much more to help you decrease your carbon footprint.

Shipping fruit from across the world burns a ton of fuel, which results in significant greenhouse gas emissions. If more people grew their own fruit at home, there would be less demand for imports and a big step forward in the fight against climate change.

Additionally, fruit trees can provide a significant amount of shade. This can actually help keep your house cooler and reduce your need for air conditioning in the summer.

Feeds and Protects Local Wildlife

Trees provide shelter to birds, squirrels, insects, and other animals that are necessary to keep your local ecosystem balanced and healthy.

When fruit trees blossom in the spring and summer, they attract and feed pollinators like bees and butterflies. Plus, if you have a vegetable garden that needs pollinating, a blooming fruit tree will draw the bees right to your yard.

Provides Plenty of Natural Beauty

All you have to do is picture all of the cherry trees blossoming in the spring to understand how beautiful fruit trees are.

Plus, fruit trees aren’t just lovely when they bloom in the spring. They also look great when they’re full of lush, green leaves in the summer and when those leaves start to change color in the fall.

Top 10 Easy to Grow Fruit Trees

Now that you know more about the benefits you’ll enjoy when you plant fruit trees in your garden, take a look at some of these easiest fruit trees to grow and pick out which ones you want to plant today.

1. Apple Trees

With so many easy-to-grow and versatile options, apple trees are by far one of the best fruit trees for beginners to grow. You can even find a variety of awesome dwarf trees that are perfect for small yards.

Pretty much no matter where you live in the country, you’re sure to find a type of apple tree you can grow. For example, the Sundowner apple tree actually thrives with long, hot summers, while the Gravenstein apple tree prefers cool temperatures.

If you’re having a hard time deciding which variety to get, you can’t go wrong with the Honeycrisp apple tree. This tree is extremely cold hardy, but also adaptable to warmer climates. It produces a fruit that’s sweet, crisp, and juicy.

Although there are some self-pollinating varieties of apple trees available, you’ll get a larger and better crop if you plant one or two different partner trees nearby for cross-pollination.

Shop for Apple Trees at FastGrowingTrees.com

Shop for Apple Trees at Nature Hills Nursery

2. Lemon Trees

While lemon trees grow best outdoors in zones 9-11, they’re also one of the top fruit trees to grow in a pot and keep indoors.

The Meyer lemon tree is particularly popular because its fruit is different from the tart, acidic lemons you typically find at the grocery store. The fruit is a cross between traditional sour lemons and sweet oranges, which means you get both sweet and savory flavors in each one!

Once you grow your own lemons, you can use the juice, pulp, and rind for cleaning, cooking, and more.

Shop for Lemon Trees at FastGrowingTrees.com

Shop for Apple Trees at Nature Hills Nursery

3. Pear Trees

There are several reasons why you should consider growing pear trees in your yard. They have beautiful blossoms in the spring and bright colors in the fall. The trees also have little to no issues with disease or insects.

When it comes to varieties, you have two choices: European or Asian. European varieties grow a soft and sweet fruit, while the Asian variety has a crisp, juicy fruit that’s similar to an apple.

Most pear trees are not self-pollinating, so you’ll need at least two in your yard to produce any fruit.

Shop for Pear Trees at FastGrowingTrees.com

Shop for Pear Trees at Nature Hills Nursery

4. Fig Trees

You can forget about paying high prices at the grocery store when you plant your own fig tree!

Figs need plenty of sun for the fruits to ripen, so consider growing the tree against a south-facing wall. As an added bonus, not only will this help your tree thrive, but it can also provide plenty of natural shade to help cool down your house without air conditioning.

The Brown Turkey Fig is one of the most popular varieties to grow because this prolific tree has two harvests of healthy, sweet fruit a year. The long-lived tree is also virtually pest free!

Shop for Fig Trees at FastGrowingTrees.com

Shop for Fig Trees at Nature Hills Nursery

5. Plum Trees

If you’re looking for one of the best low-maintenance fruit trees, look no further than a plum tree. These versatile trees don’t take up a lot of space, can handle drought, and require little to no work to maintain.

There are two main types of plum trees available today: European and Japanese. Japanese plums are typically larger and ripen earlier.

European plums are late bloomers, which makes them good for areas that get late frosts. European plums also tend to have higher sugar content, so they’re often dried and used for making prunes.

Most plum trees are not self-pollinating, so you’ll need to plant at least two trees to bear fruit.

Shop for Plum Trees at FastGrowingTrees.com

Shop for Plum Trees at Nature Hills Nursery

6. Cherry Trees

If you want a beautiful tree growing in your yard, you can’t beat a cherry tree. These low-maintenance trees showcase gorgeous blossoms in the spring, striking red fruit in the summer, and colorful foliage in the fall.

If you want to eat your cherries right off the tree, look for sweet cherry trees. They prefer growing in a sunny spot. On the other hand, sour cherry trees can grow in shadier spots and are perfect for baking and making jams.

Typically, sweet cherries need another cherry tree that blooms at the same time to produce fruit, while most sour cherries are self-pollinating. However, if you plant more than one sour tree nearby, you’ll get a larger harvest.

Shop for Cherry Trees at FastGrowingTrees.com

Shop for Cherry Trees at Nature Hills Nursery

7. Mulberry Trees

Mulberries are a nutritious fruit that are very similar to blackberries. It’s rare to find fresh mulberries in the grocery store. So if you want to enjoy this delicious fruit, you’ll have to grow it yourself!

This easy-to-grow tree can quickly reach heights of up to 15 feet tall, which means it also provides an excellent amount of cooling shade in the summer months. Plus, most mulberry trees are self-pollinating.

Just keep in mind that the berries can stain, so don’t plant your tree over a walkway or any other important structures.

Shop for Mulberry Trees at FastGrowingTrees.com

Shop for Mulberry Trees at Nature Hills Nursery

8. Peach Trees

Imagine all the pies, jams, cobblers, and muffins you can make when you have your own peach tree. Peach trees are a popular option for many people because they’re easy to grow and quick to harvest, often producing fruit after just one year. Fully grown peach trees also produce a bounty of fruit!

The trees aren’t too picky about soil type, although they do prefer well-drained soil and a spot that receives full sun.

Additionally, most peach trees are self-pollinating. Just make sure you note the hardiness zone of the tree you’re interested in since some varieties can’t handle the cold as well as others.

Shop for Peach Trees at FastGrowingTrees.com

Shop for Peach Trees at Nature Hills Nursery

9. Nectarine Trees

Nectarines are basically peaches without the fuzz. That means you get to enjoy the same benefits of a peach tree when you plant a nectarine tree.

These easy-to-grow, fragrant trees have lovely pink flowers that attract pollinators and hummingbirds. The highly adaptable tree can easily acclimate to most climates and produce an excellent amount of fresh fruit without much hassle.

Not only are nectarines great eaten right off the tree, but you can also freeze them, can them, and cook with them.

Nectarine trees are self-pollinating. However, if you have two trees that bloom at the same time, you’ll get a much larger crop.

Since there are early blooming and late blooming trees, you’ll want to make sure you know which one you’re looking at before buying. Or you can plant both and extend your harvest season!

Shop for Nectarine Trees at FastGrowingTrees.com

Shop for Nectarine Trees at Nature Hills Nursery

10. Mandarin Trees

If you want to grow a mandarin tree outside, you need to live in a warmer climate. Fortunately, you can still enjoy the sweet and delicious fruit straight from the tree even if you live in a cooler area thanks to the numerous variety of potted dwarf trees available.

The trees are easy to grow and produce fragrant blossoms in the spring that look beautiful, smell amazing, and attract pollinators. They prefer growing in full sun and like to have soil with excellent drainage.

The fruit from a mandarin tree is easy to peel and almost completely seedless. They’re also packed with vitamin C, which can help you naturally fight off a cold!

Shop for Mandarin Trees at FastGrowingTrees.com

Shop for Mandarin Trees at Nature Hills Nursery

The Easiest Fruit Tree to Grow

If you’re looking for an easy way to help fight climate change, plant a tree! Better yet, make it one of these easiest fruit trees to grow and enjoy all of the incredible benefits you get with having a fruit tree right in your own yard.

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