If you are looking to make your garden pop, as well as grow a delicious treat for yourself, you have probably considered a few different fruit trees for the backyard orchard of your dreams.
To help you out we will take a look at 25 different options, with an emphasis on those that, under the proper care, grow fast.
Also, once you are done here make sure to check out our other garden lists like great Herb Garden Ideas or Creative Rock Garden Ideas.
Fruit Trees for the Backyard Orchard – Quick Look
- Santa Rosa Plum
- Gravenstein Apple
- El Dorado Peach
- Asian Pear
- Glenn Mango
- Moorpark Apricot
- Early Harvest Apple
- Dwarf Persian Lime
- Dancy Tangerine
- Meyer Lemon
- Red Lady Papaya
- Hass Avocado
- Everbearing Mulberry
- Dwarf Cavendish Banana
- Tropic Pink Guava
- Celestial Fig
- Toka Plum
- Bartlett Pear
- Nules Clementine
- North Star Cherry
- Calamondin
- Wonderful Pomegranate
- Eureka Lemon
- Ruby Red Grapefruit
- Starfruit
1. Santa Rosa Plum
- Scientific Name: Prunus salicina ‘Santa Rosa’
- Hardiness Zone: 5 to 9
- Mature Height: Up to 25’
- Years to Fruit: 3+
For a fast-growing plum tree that will produce fruit as quickly as possible, it’s easy to see why so many gardeners opt for Santa Rosa.
On top of just growing quickly in general, the biggest selling point of this plum tree is that it produces fruit a year earlier than most other varieties!
2. Gravenstein Apple
- Scientific Name: Malus domestica ‘Gravenstein'
- Hardiness Zone: 4 to 9
- Mature Height: Up to 18’
- Years to Fruit: 2+
The Gravenstein apple is widely considered to be one of the most versatile varieties in existence. It’s been cultivated for many centuries but is far less popular commercially than varieties like Fuji and Golden Delicious.
If you’re willing to stay on top of harvest and overall care, this apple tree is a great addition to the home orchard.
3. El Dorado Peach
- Scientific Name: Prunus persica ‘El Dorado’
- Hardiness Zone: 5 to 9
- Mature Height: 5’
- Years to Fruit: 3+
The El Dorado peach tree is a dwarf variety that matures much earlier than your average peach.
You can plant this small fruit tree in the landscape or in a container. The flowers are self-fertile so you only need one El Dorado tree for a successful harvest.
4. Asian Pear
- Scientific Name: Pyrus pyrifolia
- Hardiness Zone: 5 to 9
- Mature Height: Up to 20’
- Years to Fruit: 3+
Many people compare the fruit of Asian pear trees to a cross between a traditional pear and an apple.
While these fruit trees tend to be quite large at maturity, they start producing pears within just a few years. You can expect a healthy Asian pear tree to produce fruit for several decades.
5. Glenn Mango
- Scientific Name: Mangifera indica ‘Glenn’
- Hardiness Zone: 4 to 11
- Mature Height: Up to 20’
- Years to Fruit: 3+
The Glenn Mango is a very popular cultivar among home gardeners and commercial orchard operators alike. It was first cultivated in Florida in the 1940s and is often described as being peachy in flavor.
While it can take up to 4 years for this tree to produce fruit when grown from seed, many nursery-grown saplings produce within the first year.
6. Moorpark Apricot
- Scientific Name: Prunus armeniaca ‘Moorpark’
- Hardiness Zone: 5 to 8
- Mature Height: Up to 20’
- Years to Fruit: 1+
Apricots are often overlooked but can make wonderful additions to any backyard orchard or garden bed! For a fast-growing variety, the Moorpark Apricot is a reliable pick.
You only need one tree to produce fruit with a Moorpark Apricot. However, most growers agree that keeping several trees will produce the best harvest.
7. Early Harvest Apple
- Scientific Name: Malus domestica ‘Early Harvest’
- Hardiness Zone: 3 to 9
- Mature Height: 10’ to 15’
- Years to Fruit: 3+
Along with being a rapid grower overall, the Early Harvest Apple is one of the very first tree varieties to bear fruit each growing season. It’s common for this apple tree to produce fruit as early as July.
8. Dwarf Persian Lime
- Scientific Name: Citrus latifolia
- Hardiness Zone: 8 to 11
- Mature Height: Up to 10’
- Years to Fruit: 1+
Also known as a Bearss Lime, this variety is perfect for any warm-climate garden or bright sunroom.
The Dwarf Persian Lime grows quickly but stays quite small overall, making it an ideal contender for planting in a large container.
9. Dancy Tangerine
- Scientific Name: Citrus reticulata ’Dancy’
- Hardiness Zone: 9 to 11
- Mature Height: Up to 12’
- Years to Fruit: 3+
Although the Dancy Tangerine is one of the oldest varieties cultivated in the state of Florida, it’s lost favor in commercial orchards over the years. But it can still be a wonderful statement tree in the home landscape!
10. Meyer Lemon
- Scientific Name: Citrus x meyeri
- Hardiness Zone: 8 to 11
- Mature Height: Up to 10’
- Years to Fruit: 1+
Did you know that the popular Meyer Lemon is actually believed to be a lemon and mandarin orange hybrid? It’s no wonder that this variety is so much sweeter and juicier than other lemons!
If you want to enjoy this fruit as quickly as possible, be sure to start your Meyer Lemon tree from a sapling rather than from seed.
11. Red Lady Papaya
- Scientific Name: Carica papaya ‘Red Lady’
- Hardiness Zone: 9 to 11
- Mature Height: 20’
- Years to Fruit: 1+
The Red Lady Papaya tree is a unique option if you live somewhere quite warm. With proper care, this tree can produce up to 80 pounds of fruit in a single year!
If you live in a colder climate and have the space, papayas also fare well in greenhouses.
12. Hass Avocado
- Scientific Name: Persea americana ‘Hass’
- Hardiness Zone: 9 to 11
- Mature Height: Up to 30’
- Years to Fruit: 3+
The Hass Avocado is the most commonly grown avocado tree in the world!
While avocados are some of the fastest-growing fruit trees, it takes a bit longer for them to consistently bear fruit. For the soonest harvest possible, invest in a grafted sapling that is already a couple of years old.
13. Everbearing Mulberry
- Scientific Name: Morus nigra
- Hardiness Zone: 6 to 9
- Mature Height: 15’
- Years to Fruit: 2+
The Everbearing Mulberry tree is a fast-growing option that will attract birds and other wildlife to your garden in early summer. It has a shrub-like growth habit and its fruit is very popular in jam- and wine-making!
14. Dwarf Cavendish Banana
- Scientific Name: Musa acuminata
- Hardiness Zone: 8 to 11
- Mature Height: Up to 10’
- Years to Fruit: 1+
Contrary to popular belief, the Dwarf Cavendish Banana produces the same size fruit as any other banana tree. It’s the tree itself that is small in stature.
This rapid-growing tree is ideal for the subtropical landscape or as a potted patio piece.
15. Tropic Pink Guava
- Scientific Name: Psidium guajava ‘Tropic Pink’
- Hardiness Zone: 9 to 11
- Mature Height: Up to 30’
- Years to Fruit: 1+
With fruit that many describe as tasting like a mix of strawberry and pear, the Tropic Pink Guava is a delicious addition to the home! It gets its name from the bright pink flesh hidden inside the otherwise green fruit.
16. Celestial Fig
- Scientific Name: Ficus carica ‘Celestial’
- Hardiness Zone: 7 to 11
- Mature Height: Up to 10’
- Years to Fruit: 1+
The Celestial Fig grows quickly, tolerates mild cold, and resists many common ailments that plague other fig varieties! In the right (sheltered) location, you may even be able to grow this tree outdoors in zones 5 and 6.
17. Toka Plum
- Scientific Name: Prunus salicina ‘Toka’
- Hardiness Zone: 3 to 8
- Mature Height: Up to 20’
- Years to Fruit: 2+
The Toka Plum is a yummy hybrid — it was created by crossing an American with a Japanese plum variety — that also goes by the name “Bubblegum Plum.”
Unsurprisingly, the flavor of its fruit is often compared to sugary bubblegum!
18. Bartlett Pear
- Scientific Name: Pyrus communis ‘Bartlett’
- Hardiness Zone: 5 to 7
- Mature Height: Up to 20’
- Years to Fruit: 2+
The Bartlett Pear, also known as a Williams Pear in some regions, is easily the most popular pear variety in the western world.
While you’ll need another type of pear in the area for pollination, the resulting fruit are well worth the effort.
19. Nules Clementine
- Scientific Name: Citrus clementina
- Hardiness Zone: 8 to 11
- Mature Height: 8’
- Years to Fruit: 2+
The Nules Clementine is an almost seedless variety of citrus fruit that grows well both indoors and out. Saplings that are a couple of years old can produce fruit within the first growing season.
20. North Star Cherry
- Scientific Name: Prunus cerasus ‘North Star’
- Hardiness Zone: 4 to 8
- Mature Height: Up to 9’
- Years to Fruit: 2+
The North Star Cherry is a sour variety with a naturally dwarfed growth habit. And, since this cherry tree is self-pollinating, it’s a wonderful contender for even the smallest garden spaces!
21. Calamondin
- Scientific Name: Citrus mitis
- Hardiness Zone: 8 to 11
- Mature Height: 8’
- Years to Fruit: 2+
The Calamondin tree is a citrus fruit created by crossing a tangerine with a kumquat. While not super well-known, it was first imported to the United States from China at the start of the 20th century.
22. Wonderful Pomegranate
- Scientific Name: Punica granatum ‘Wonderful’
- Hardiness Zone: 8 to 11
- Mature Height: Up to 12’
- Years to Fruit: 2+
If you’ve ever admired a pomegranate tree growing in someone else’s yard, there’s a good chance it was a Wonderful Pomegranate. This fast-growing tree is grown as an ornamental nearly as often as it’s grown for its fruit.
23. Eureka Lemon
- Scientific Name: Citrus x limon ‘Eureka’
- Hardiness Zone: 9 to 11
- Mature Height: Up to 20’
- Years to Fruit: 2+
A Eureka Lemon is a great option if you want a citrus tree that is easy to manage while producing a large harvest each year. It is relatively cold hardy (compared to other lemons) and features very few thorns on its trunk.
24. Ruby Red Grapefruit
- Scientific Name: Citrus x paradisi ‘Ruby Red’
- Hardiness Zone: 8 to 11
- Mature Height: Up to 20’
- Years to Fruit: 2+
With its seedless fruit, the Ruby Red Grapefruit is one of the most popular citruses sold in grocery stores. However, it also makes an awesome, fast-growing addition to the backyard garden.
25. Starfruit
- Scientific Name: Averrhoa carambola
- Hardiness Zone: 9 to 11
- Mature Height: Up to 35’
- Years to Fruit: 2+
The Starfruit tree is a beautiful specimen that produces dense purple flowers in spring (and sometimes again in the fall).
While starfruit is unlikely to make up a large portion of your day-to-day diet, the tree it comes from is quite the conversation starter.