Apples and Pears in Desert Gardens

They require a little TLC, but they can be long-lived and rewarding to grow.

Apples

• I’ve grown some really great-tasting apples in my Santa Fe garden. Apples flower later than most fruit trees, but in higher elevations like Santa Fe, late season frosts can damage the blossoms. In low desert areas, danger of late frosts is much less, resulting in less damage. Semi-dwarf and dwarf apples tend to bear sooner than larger trees, and are generally easier to manage. Here’s a list of good apple varieties for desert plantings:

1. Golden Delicious (a little more frost-tolerant than other varieties)
2. Rome (recommended for lower altitudes and more southern areas)
3. Arkansas Black (late-maturing)
4. Johathan (better in lower and warmer areas)
5. Winesap (better in lower and warmer areas)

Pears

• Pears generally flower before apples. Although they do well in most desert areas, they do better in lower and warmer areas. I would also recommend that the pear varieties be grown on dwarf rootstocks. Recommended varieities:

1. Bartlett (leading variety)
2. Duchess
3. Eldorado
4. Kieffer Starking Delicious - blight resistant
5. Moonglow - blight resistant

Apples and pears are susceptible to pests and need frequent sprayings to control them.

Related articles:

1. Planting Desert Trees Part 1
2. Planting Desert Trees Part 2