# how long for fruit trees to bare fruit



## nancy237

We just bought land that we want to retire on in 3-5 years.

I would love to go ahead and get some fruit trees started but my husband thinks it takes 10 years or so before they produce fruit.

We are in central Virginia so any recommendations would be great.


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## 7thswan

Mine produced arround 3 years. Put in 27 trees, fruit and nuts. the plums,peaches and cherrys were the first. The apples seem slower.


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## olivehill

I put in peach trees this spring, got peaches from them this summer. It's not recommended that you allow them to produce the first year as you want the energy going into root development and getting them established, but the point is if you get good trees, from a reputable nursery you can have fruit as soon as that same year for some varieties and certainly within the first couple years for others. 

If you plant from a teeny tiny little thing, sure, the tree has to grow before it can give you fruit. Just use common sense. If you want fruit soon invest in good started trees. If you don't mind waiting and putting in the work to bring them up on your property then go for it.


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## Windy in Kansas

Most kinds of fruit bear in 3-5 years according to the catalogs I have read descriptions in.

While at the California Farm Equipment Sow in 1997 I picked up a brochure for a plastic tree trunk wrap. One of those spiral looking strips that we see fairly often. Their claim was that when used that trees or grape vines would produce about one year earlier than if not used. Might pay to protect the tree trunks in similar manner if not with them.

If I were starting a home orchard I think I would also used a foliar application of fertilizer with micro-nutrients from time to time. One like Spray N Grow. 

Something to think about as well and to read about for yourself---the last I read on the subject stated that it is best NOT to greatly amend the soil in a tree planting hole but rather leave it mostly in the natural state. Research had indicated that if you greatly amend the soil the trees roots tend to remain in that small area instead of spreading to adjacent areas. That is a reversal of decades of thinking so figure it out for yourself.


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## Our Little Farm

3 years for the first fruit, 5 years to a small crop. Depending on size of tree you buy. Buy a decent size (I bought semi dwarfs) and make sure you prepare the ground well and do all that they ask you to do. If you plant now, you should have fruit when you retire. Make sure there is a deer fence around them.
Buy from a local nursery if you can.
You might want to look at http://www.vintagevirginiaapples.com/ for your apples.


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## Forerunner

Don't ever waste time getting your fruit trees planted.
2-5 years is my experience, depending on the fruit.


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## motdaugrnds

Nancy, if you are thinking of planting fruit trees "before" you get on that land, you will need to find some way to protect them from natural predators or your planting will go unrewarded. (Deer will strip and kill fruit trees and some nut trees too.)


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## ronbre

depends on everything, the type of fruit, age and size of tree, soil, species, weather..everything..

generally if you buy good quality trees, plant them in good quality soils, they'll generally bear in 4 to 6 years or less..depending on the fruit.

some dwarfs bear earlier, 

usually the info on the tree will tell you how long for it to bear under best conditions..but allow another year or two for poor conditions.


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## Prickle

It can take 10 years if you plant from seed.

The larger fruit tree saplings you can buy are already a year or two old so potentially you could have fruit the year following planting but it usually takes another year for the root system to become established.

For most plants it's the first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps and the third year it leaps.


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## unregistered6474

It was around three years for our two plum trees. I just posted about my experience canning all those plums in my blog here. 

I have probably gotten a five-gallon bucket of plums off of each tree. I don't know if it's an extremely good year for plums or if they've just hit their stride. I don't do any spraying, so I do end up throwing some away, but we still have PLENTY.


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## Guest

I planted these 2 trees, and many more in December, 2006. I've been getting good crops for the past 2 years, and fair in 2008. 
This link is to a thread I just posted, showing the size of some fruit. http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?p=4598855


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