When you want to enjoy the rewards of growing fresh fruit in your garden but don’t have the space to grow many trees as pollinating partners, you can look at self-fertile fruit trees. These fruit trees will give you a harvest without the need for a partner. However, it’s important to bear in mind that with a pollinating partner, the harvests of these trees may be improved.
Here are some top picks of self-fertile fruit trees to get you started…
Malus domestica (apple) ‘Laxton’s Superb’
First is an apple that has delicious flavour that is often compared to Cox, but arguably it’s better. With fruits from October, the harvests are very tasty dessert apples with that classic apple sweet taste. What’s more, the flowers in spring will also work wonders for the wildlife in your garden as they attract bees and butterflies.
- Fruit in autumn
- Fully hardy
- Moist but well-drained or well-drained soil
- Full sun
- Sheltered
Prunus cerasus (cherry) ‘Morello’
‘Morello’ is a cooking cherry with tart, dark red fruits that are well suited for jams, pies and tarts. Through summer there are regular, good crops, so you can make the most of this self-fertile tree even in a partially shaded spot. The blossoms are white, making clouds of colour in spring.
- Fruit in summer
- Fully hardy
- Moist but well-drained
- Full sun or partial shade
- Sheltered
Prunus persica (peach) ‘Darling’
Next up is a peach that’s great for cooking due to the ease of which the flesh comes away from the stone. The flesh is firm, but rich in flavour. As well as its taste, the tree is highly resistant to peach leaf curl, making it a great pick for the garden for many reasons.
- Fruit in summer
- Fully hardy
- Moist but well-drained
- Full sun
- Sheltered
Prunus domestica (plum) ‘Stanley’
Next is a plum with deep violet skins and delicious juicy flesh, making it a fantastic eating plum to have at your fingertips from the end of summer into autumn. It is a self-fertile tree but pollination with other plums, gages or damsons will help your harvest too.
- Fruit in late summer
- Fully hardy
- Moist but well-drained or well-drained soil
- Full sun
- Sheltered
Prunus domestica (golden gage) ‘Reine-Claude de Vars’
Last but not least is a self-fertile gage that is reliably fruiting from August. Growing up to 4m tall, this tree has sweet, yellow fruits that are firm. Again, the flowers that bloom in spring are a magnet for pollinators.
- Fruit in summer
- Hardy
- Moist but well-drained or well-drained soil
- Full sun
- Sheltered
Whether you’re short on space or just want to bring in a single fruit tree, these top picks of self-fertile trees are sure to get you started. They will provide fruit for you to eat and cook with, without the need for a pollinating partner.
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David Domoney is a Chartered Horticulturalist, Broadcaster, and Author. David has worked with a number of the UK’s leading garden retailers as a plant buyer and strategic consultant. With more than 30 years experience, in horticulture, David is as passionate about plants now as he was when he bought his first plant at a village fete.
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