Collection · 31

Fruit Trees

A fruit tree is the slowest crop you will ever plant and the best return: one good apple or pear, planted once, bears for thirty to fifty years. This collection gathers all 31 fruit-bearing trees in the library — orchard classics alongside natives like pawpaw and black cherry that no supermarket will ever stock, spanning USDA zones 3–11 between them.

Three things decide whether a fruit tree works at your address, and every guide here covers all three: your hardiness zone, the tree's chill-hour requirement (a Honeycrisp needs ~800 hours of winter cold; a Florida peach needs 150), and pollination — 20 of these crop alone, while the rest need a second, genetically different tree blooming at the same time. 0 are reasonably deer-resistant; the rest want a cage for their first years.

Rated purely on eating quality, Apple, Pawpaw and Apricot top this list. 20 of the 31 currently have verified in-stock nursery listings — the terracotta price tags on the cards below link to a checked product page, not a search.

AppleFrom $49.95 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.AppleMalus domesticaFull SunModerate waterModerate growthExcellent edibleApricotFrom $66.95 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.ApricotPrunus armeniacaFull SunModerate waterFast growthExcellent edibleAvocadoFrom $112.95 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.AvocadoPersea americanaFull SunModerate waterFast growthExcellent edibleBlack CherryBlack CherryPrunus serotinaFull SunLow waterFast growthNative to North AmericaCalamondin OrangeFrom $56.95 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.Calamondin OrangeCitrus × microcarpaBrightModerate waterModerate growthExcellent edibleChe (Chinese Mulberry)Che (Chinese Mulberry)Maclura tricuspidataFull SunLow waterSlow-Moderate growthExcellent edibleCherryCherryFull SunModerate waterExcellent edibleCocktail TreeFrom $84.95 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.Cocktail TreeMalus spp. / Prunus spp. / Pyrus spp. / Citrus spp.Full SunModerate waterVariable per graft growthExcellent edibleFlowering CrabappleFlowering CrabappleMalus hybridsFull SunModerate waterModerate growthExcellent edibleGrapefruitFrom $48.95 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.GrapefruitCitrus × paradisiFull Sun — needs the most heat of any citrusModerate waterModerate growthExcellent edibleJujubeJujubeZiziphus jujubaFull SunDrought-tolerant · low waterModerate growthExcellent edibleKumquatFrom $49.95 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.KumquatCitrus japonicaFull Sun / sunniest windowModerate waterSlow-Moderate growthExcellent edibleLemonFrom $25.95 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.LemonModerate waterExcellent edibleLimeFrom $12.95 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.LimeCitrus × aurantiifolia / latifoliaFull SunModerate waterModerate growthExcellent edibleLoquatLoquatEriobotrya japonicaFull SunModerate waterModerate growthExcellent edibleMandarin / TangerineMandarin / TangerineCitrus reticulataFull SunModerate waterModerate growthExcellent edibleMangoFrom $108.95 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.MangoMangifera indicaFull Sun — maximum heatModerate waterFast in heat growthExcellent edibleMedlarMedlarMespilus germanicaFull Sun to Light ShadeModerate waterSlow growthExcellent edibleMulberryFrom $36.95 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.MulberryMorus alba × rubra / M. rubraFull Sun to Part ShadeLow waterVery Fast growthExcellent edibleNectarineFrom $50.35 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.NectarinePrunus persicaFull SunModerate waterFast growthExcellent edibleOliveFrom $39.95 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.OliveOlea europaeaFull SunDrought-tolerant · low waterSlow growthExcellent edibleOrangeFrom $53.95 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.OrangeCitrus × sinensisFull Sun — 8+ hrsModerate waterModerate growthExcellent ediblePapayaFrom $43.95 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.PapayaCarica papayaFull SunModerate waterVERY Fast growthExcellent ediblePawpawPawpawAsimina trilobaShade when youngHigh waterModerate growthNative to North AmericaPeachFrom $50.35 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.PeachPrunus persicaFull SunModerate waterFast growthExcellent ediblePearFrom $50.95 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.PearPyrus communisFull SunModerate waterModerate growthExcellent ediblePersimmonPersimmonFull Sun to Part ShadeExcellent ediblePlumFrom $43.64 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.PlumFull SunExcellent ediblePluotPluotPrunus salicina × armeniacaFull SunModerate waterFast growthExcellent edibleQuinceFrom $25.89 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.QuinceCydonia oblongaFull SunModerate waterSlow-Moderate growthExcellent edibleYuzuFrom $64.95 at a third-party nursery — not a Story Thyme Farms price.YuzuCitrus junosFull Sun to Part ShadeModerate waterSlow-Moderate growthExcellent edible

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