Best Disease Resistant Fruit Trees to Plant - Ask Extension
We have 11 acres with a South face rise that we are interested in planting a small orchard. There have been fruit trees previously on the property. We...
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Best Disease Resistant Fruit Trees to Plant #892362
Asked February 06, 2025, 9:24 AM EST
We have 11 acres with a South face rise that we are interested in planting a small orchard. There have been fruit trees previously on the property. We are beginners and would like to grow organically. We are looking for disease resistant fruit trees that are hardy. Can you recommend varieties that would be successful in the Boyds, MD area. Also helpful would be nurseries that stock these trees and any other planting and care information.
Thanks
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
We have lots of fruit-growing information on our website and blog that would be worth exploring before deciding on what to plant (and how/where). Fruit trees are high-maintenance plants compared to other landscape elements (and higher-maintenance than berry bushes, generally), so take more commitment to care for in terms of tree health and preserving each year's harvest from insect and disease damage. Regular pruning is also required to promote a branching structure that maintains good airflow through the canopy and lets enough light reach lower or inner branches for best fruit production. Bear in mind as well that many fruit trees require cross-pollination, which means that they will need to be paired-up with a second tree that is compatible -- blooms at the same time and has pollen which will fertilize the other tree's flowers. Fruit trees are often insect-pollinated, and while using organic pesticides to protect the trees may still be necessary to ensure a good harvest, their use still might risk harm to pollinators depending on the ingredients and when/how they are applied. (Organic pesticides tend to need more frequent application to make up for their faster degradation in the environment, and they can also be more expensive than synthetic versions.)
A good starting point is to explore the resources on our Fruit pages, including Starting a Home Fruit Garden, and blog articles about selecting and growing fruits. Some of our fruit growing content is lumped together when trees are closely related and vulnerable to the same set of pests and diseases, such as apples and pears. You'll find information about typical problems to watch for on each of the fruit pages, and links to a Virginia Tech publication that provides guidance on how and when to proactively treat trees to limit damage from those insects and pathogens. Suggestions on which varieties to grow that are more vigorous or disease-resistant are also included on each of the individual fruit pages.
Extension doesn't have a list of nursery sources to share since we don't keep track of that information and usually don't recommend particular businesses, though some local garden centers stock fruit trees and shrubs each spring (and sometimes autumn also). Their deliveries tend to arrive in late February or throughout March, depending on what wholesale sources they buy from. Autumn restocking deliveries tend to ramp-up around Labor Day for fall planting season. Some nursery offerings will overlap with what varieties we recommend growing, and others they stock may be varieties popular for eating (like 'Honeycrisp' apple) but which are quite difficult to grow in our climate, even for experienced fruit growers and orchardists. You can also look for mail-order nurseries that specialize in fruits and berries; some are reasonably local in neighboring states. We are probably well into bare-root shipping season for those mail-order sources already, but autumn is an excellent time to plant potted fruit trees if you wanted to take this spring and summer to plan.
Miri
A good starting point is to explore the resources on our Fruit pages, including Starting a Home Fruit Garden, and blog articles about selecting and growing fruits. Some of our fruit growing content is lumped together when trees are closely related and vulnerable to the same set of pests and diseases, such as apples and pears. You'll find information about typical problems to watch for on each of the fruit pages, and links to a Virginia Tech publication that provides guidance on how and when to proactively treat trees to limit damage from those insects and pathogens. Suggestions on which varieties to grow that are more vigorous or disease-resistant are also included on each of the individual fruit pages.
Extension doesn't have a list of nursery sources to share since we don't keep track of that information and usually don't recommend particular businesses, though some local garden centers stock fruit trees and shrubs each spring (and sometimes autumn also). Their deliveries tend to arrive in late February or throughout March, depending on what wholesale sources they buy from. Autumn restocking deliveries tend to ramp-up around Labor Day for fall planting season. Some nursery offerings will overlap with what varieties we recommend growing, and others they stock may be varieties popular for eating (like 'Honeycrisp' apple) but which are quite difficult to grow in our climate, even for experienced fruit growers and orchardists. You can also look for mail-order nurseries that specialize in fruits and berries; some are reasonably local in neighboring states. We are probably well into bare-root shipping season for those mail-order sources already, but autumn is an excellent time to plant potted fruit trees if you wanted to take this spring and summer to plan.
Miri
