5 Fruit Trees That Produce the Biggest Harvests, According to Gardening Experts

Honeycrisp Apple

Renowned for its perfectly balanced sweet-tart flavor and classic crunch, the Honeycrisp apple (Malus domestica) is an excellent choice for planting if you desire bountiful harvests. Kristi Baldini, gardens manager at Windswept Gardens, states that this tree produces approximately 150 to 250 pounds of apples per season. "The Honeycrisp is celebrated for its exceptionally crisp texture, sweet flavor, excellent storage quality, beautiful spring flowers, and reliable fall harvest," she adds. This apple variety thrives in full sun and well-draining soil. To encourage a steady flow of fruit, ensure the tree has a compatible pollinator such as a Gala or Fuji apple tree within 50 feet, as this will ensure proper pollination for bountiful harvests.

Pear

Pears (Pyrus communis) are low-maintenance, winter-hardy, and high-yielding, making them a great addition to any garden. David Fried, owner of Elmore Roots Fruit Tree Nursery, highlights pears as a prolific producer, often yielding 200 pounds of fruit per tree each year. To ensure high yields, Fried says pears should be planted in groups of three, which helps overlap or synchronize their pollination periods. This method ensures a steady and abundant fruit production. Plant this delicious fruit in an area that receives six to eight hours of full sun daily, preferably in loamy, well-draining soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.0. Pears require deep, steady watering, without waterlogging the soil.

Plum

Beyond bountiful harvests, plum trees (Prunus domestica) are a breeze to cultivate, as they are low-maintenance, hardy, and require less work compared to other stone fruits like peaches. While plum harvests can vary depending on size, age, and variety, Fried notes that when plums are grown alongside other plums, they can produce 100 pounds of fruit per season. "The biggest way to increase harvests is to have a good assortment of varieties for cross-pollination of each type of fruit," says Fried. "In nature, plums grow in plum thickets, meaning groups pretty close together, and by imitating this natural grouping, we get large harvests from our plum trees in the north."

Plum trees thrive in full sun, requiring at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily. This exposure is essential for maximizing flower production and fruit yield. They prefer fertile, loamy, well-draining soil with a slightly acidic pH, ideally between 5.5 and 6.5. It's important to avoid clay or waterlogged soils, as these conditions can hinder their growth.

Mulberry

Everbearing mulberries (Morus x rubra) are highly resilient and yield large crops of berry-like fruit featuring flavors reminiscent of blackberry, raspberry, and dried fig. They are easy to grow, can tolerate various soil types, and can live for up to 100 years, says Fried. A single, well-established mulberry tree can produce anywhere from 100 to several hundred pounds of fruit annually. However, the yield depends heavily on the variety, age, and climate.

To maximize fruit production, these trees require full sun and well-draining, fertile soil with a pH of 5.5 to 6.8. Keep the tree consistently moist, especially during fruit development, to support current and future fruit production.

Fig

The fig (Ficus carica) is a prolific producer. When given optimal care and planted in the ground, mature trees can produce over 100 pounds of figs per year. Cherished for their sweet fruit, figs can also live for more than 100 years. Once established, fig trees require minimal maintenance and can thrive in various soil types, making this a great addition to any garden.

Although the tree typically doesn't bear much fruit until it is two to three years old, you can encourage optimal fruit production by ensuring it receives full sunlight, well-draining soil rich in organic matter, and avoiding high-nitrogen fertilizers, which promote leafy growth rather than fruiting. Additionally, prune any dead or inward-growing branches while the tree is dormant.