GardenTrack
Join the beta

Perennial Fruit Tree · zones 4–8 · 24 varieties

Apricot

Prunus armeniaca

Rosaceae — the same plant family as apple, peach, cherry, plum and 4 more here. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca) is a perennial fruit tree for USDA zones 4–8. It wants full sun and pH 6–7 soil, with about 1–2 in of water weekly. First real harvest comes in 2–5 yr on a grafted nursery tree. Watch for peachtree borer and brown rot. Below: its full sourced profile from 12 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.

Zones 4–8 — USDA USDA
Sun Full sun
Water Moderate
First harvest 2–5 yr — grafted grafted
Mature size 20–40 ft
Spacing 216–264 in
Soil pH 6–7est
Frost Hardy
When to plant apricottypical · zone 6b
Your zone
…or your ZIP, for your real frost dates

Establishing
Flowering
Fruit set
Growing
Ripening
Harvest

Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.

Growing apricotevery fact says where it came from

What we will not put a number on

We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.

We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.

Site & soil

Hardiness zones
4–8
Sun
Full sun
Soil pH
6–7est
Soil texture
Sandy loam, Loam, Sandy, Clay, Well drained
Frost tolerance
Hardy

The plant

Mature height
20–40 ft
Mature spread
20–40 ft
Growth rate
Moderateest
Spacing in row
216–264 in
Between rows
216–264 in
Planting depth
At soil level
Container size
15–25 gal — low end is the minimum, high end is betterest
Support
Self-supporting
Grown from
Grafting, Budding

Water & feeding

Water needs
Moderate
Water per week
1–2 in/wkest
Critical water
Fruit set, Ripeningest
Feeding
Moderate

Timing & fruiting

Years to first harvest
2–5 yr
That is the grafted nursery tree, which is what a nursery sells.
Chill hours
600–900 hrs
Pollination
Self fertile
Harvest cues
Fruit coloring
Open blossoms damaged at
27 °F
Open blossoms killed at
22 °F

Edible parts per source: fruit.

What tends to go wrongmost-cited first
PestsPeachtree borerPeach twig borerAphidsSpider mitesSan jose scalePlum curculioLeafrollersJapanese beetleBrown marmorated stink bug
DiseasesBrown rotShot holeCytospora cankerBacterial cankerStone fruit bacterial spotPowdery mildewSilver leaf

Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.

⚠ Reported toxicityverbatim from cited sources

Different parts differ — the edible part is the fruit; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.

PeopleToxic seeds

Petsdogs, cats, horses

Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).

All 24 varietiesthe ones with their own page are linked
Variety TypeHabit DaysColorSizeDiseaseWhat it is known for
Alfred — Orange Fruition Seeds describes this astakes the cold
Autumn Glo Freestone — Yellow, Orange, Red Medium Dave Wilson Nursery describes this asgives a heavy crop
Blenheim (Royal Blenheim) Heirloom Freestone — Bicolor Medium
Chinese (Mormon) Heirloom Freestone — Orange Medium
Chinese Sweetpit Heirloom — Orange Medium Raintree Nursery describes this astakes the cold · gives a heavy crop
Early Golden Heirloom Freestone — Orange Large
Goldbar Freestone — Bicolor Very Large
Goldcot Freestone — Yellow Medium CANKER BACTERIAL_SPOT Stark Bro's Nurseries describes this astakes the cold
Harcot Freestone — Bicolor Large BACTERIAL_SPOT PERENNIAL_CANKER Stark Bro's Nurseries describes this astakes the cold
Harglow Freestone Compact — Orange Medium BACTERIAL_CANKER BROWN_ROT
Hargrand Freestone — Bicolor Large BACTERIAL_CANKER Nutcracker Nursery & Tree Farm describes this astakes the cold
Harogem Freestone — Bicolor Medium PERENNIAL_CANKER BROWN_ROT Nutcracker Nursery & Tree Farm describes this astakes the cold
Katy Freestone — Bicolor Large
Moongold Freestone — Orange Medium
Moorpark Heirloom Freestone — Yellow Large
Perfection Freestone — Orange Large Minneopa Orchards describes this astakes the cold
Puget Gold Freestone — Orange Large
Riland — Bicolor Medium
Robada Freestone — Bicolor Very Large
Sungold Freestone Upright — Bicolor Medium Stark Bro's Nurseries describes this astakes the cold
Tilton Heirloom — Yellow, Orange, Red Large Dave Wilson Nursery describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Tomcot — Bicolor Large
Wenatchee Moorpark Heirloom Freestone — Orange Large Stark Bro's Nurseries describes this asgives a heavy crop
Westcot — Orange Montana Fruit Trees describes this astakes the cold
Sources12 cited · 10 organizations
  • ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
  • Michigan State University Extension
  • North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
  • UC Marin Master Gardeners
  • UC Statewide IPM Program
  • UConn Home & Garden Education Center
  • University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
  • University of California Cooperative Extension (UC Marin Master Gardeners)
  • Utah State University Extension
  • Washington State University Hortsense

We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 19 of the 24 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.

Growing more than apricot? Browse all crops, or grab the spacing calculator and frost date lookup. The GardenTrack app (now in beta) remembers what you planted and where, then tells you what to do and when. Join the beta →