Whether you have a sprawling backyard or a cozy patio, the secret to growing beautiful, productive fruit trees comes down to one thing—choosing the right variety!
Apples and pears, peaches and figs—fruit trees are long-lived, hardy plants that reward home gardeners with tasty fruit year after year. Most modern gardeners don’t have a lot of space to dedicate to growing fruit, much less starting a home orchard, but there are still fantastic options for incorporating the beauty and bounty of fruit trees into even the smallest gardens. If you’re a city gardener who wants to grow fruit, the best fruit trees will share these traits:
- Compact or appropriately sized
- High productivity
- Pest and disease resistance
- No cross-pollination required
Fortunately, our buyers have selected fruit tree varieties for 2026 with urban gardeners in mind! These apples, pears, stone fruit, and unusual varieties all produce abundantly in a small space, don’t need cross-pollination, and can withstand common fungal issues in the Pacific Northwest.
If urban homesteading isn’t your gardening style, edible plants and fruit trees still deserve a place in even the most ornamental and well-designed gardens. Looking for more reasons to grow your own fruit? Check out our blog on the 7 Benefits of Growing Fruit in Your Garden!
Uncommon Fruits to Add to Your Garden
Violette de Bordeaux Fig – Boasting intensely violet skins with pink centers, these small fruits are delicious and sweet, produced prolifically on naturally dwarf, heritage trees. Self-pollinating, suitable for containers, grows to 12–20’ high and is easily pruned.
Black Dwarf Mulberry – Extra-flavorful stacked, berry-like fruits hang en masse from this fast-growing shrubby tree. Self-pollinating, grows 8–10’ tall with pruning.
Arbequina Olive – Flavorful, oil-rich dark purple olives are borne on attractive evergreen trees hardy down to 10°C. Self-pollinating, suitable for containers, grows up to 20’ tall.
Fuyu Jiro Persimmon – Beautiful, amber colored fruits are non-astringent with smooth, even-textured flesh. Self-pollinating, grows to 15–20’ tall.
The Best Apples & Pears for Home Gardens
Six-in-One Espaliered Apple – Espaliered apples are grafted trees with six horizontal arms, each bearing different varieties of apples that pollinate each other. Suitable for screening or spaces along fences and walls, requires regular pruning to maintain size and shape.
Gala Apple – A classic, firm and sweet apple with just the right amount of acidity, Galas are easy to grow, especially when grafted on semi-dwarf rootstocks. Self-pollinating, grows to 12–15’.
Bartlett Pear – Beautiful, aromatic pears are soft green and turn yellow as they ripen and are well-suited to eating fresh or canning. Partially self-pollinating, grows to 12–15’.
20th Century Asian Pear – Firm, mellow fruits have lovely buff yellow skins and a wonderful crunch. Partially self-pollinating, grows 15–20’.
The Best Stone Fruit for Urban Gardens
Stella Cherry – Garnet red cherries are delicious when eaten fresh or in baked goods and are abundantly produced on pretty trees. Self-pollinating, grows to 15–18’.
Frost Peach – Tasty yellow freestone peaches with lovely pink skin are produced on cold-hardy, disease resistant trees. Self-pollinating, grows to 10–12’.
Stark Saturn Donut Peach – Donut-shaped freestone fruits have peachy pink skin and white flesh that is incredibly sweet. Self-pollinating, grows to 14’.
Superior Plum – Bright red plums with sweet, golden flesh are produced abundantly on very cold hardy trees. Self-pollinating, grows to 18–20’.
Basic Fruit Tree Care
Planting Fruit Trees
The best selection of fruit trees arrives in late Winter and early Spring, but you can plant any time the soil isn’t frozen. Fall is also a fantastic time to plant fruit trees, though selection may be more limited. Choose the sunniest spot in your garden to maximize productivity. After planting, stake your tree to prevent root rock during its first year, then remove the stakes as it matures.
Ongoing Maintenance
- Mulch the soil every Spring with wood chips or compost to retain moisture.
- Fertilize in early Spring when leaves appear, using an organic fruit tree or flower fertilizer. Look for one with a high middle number (phosphorus) to support a healthy, abundant harvest.
- Prune in Winter, cutting back to fruiting buds and removing any long whips without fruiting spurs. Good Winter pruning builds a strong framework for years of productive harvests.
- Spray with organic dormant oil in late Winter while trees are leafless to keep pests and diseases at bay by smothering fungal spores and insects before they can damage flowers and fruit.
Ready to start growing your own fruit? Visit one of our Portland-area Garden Centers to explore our full selection of fruit trees and berries—all curated for Pacific Northwest gardens. Our gardening experts are happy to help you find the perfect varieties for your space and answer any questions you have along the way.