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Perennial Fruit Tree · zones 4–8 · 38 varieties

European Pear

Pyrus communis

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.

These are European pears — Bartlett, Bosc, Anjou. Asian pears are a different tree and are not covered here.

European Pear (Pyrus communis) is a perennial fruit tree for USDA zones 4–8. It wants full sun and pH 6–7 soil, with about 1–3 in of water weekly. First real harvest comes in 3–10 yr on a grafted nursery tree. Watch for pear psylla and fire blight. 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 3–10 yr — grafted grafted
Mature size 15–40 ft
Spacing 96–240 in
Soil pH 6–7
Frost Hardy
When to plant european peartypical · zone 6b
Your zone
…or your ZIP, for your real frost dates

Growing
Establishing
Flowering
Fruit set
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 european pearevery 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
6–7
Soil texture
Loam, Sandy, Clay, Well drained
Frost tolerance
Hardy

The plant

Mature height
15–40 ft
Mature spread
16–35 ft
Growth rate
Moderateest
Spacing in row
96–240 in
Between rows
96–240 in
Planting depth
2–4 in
Container size
15–25 gal — low end is the minimum, high end is betterest
Support
Self-supporting
Grown from
Grafting, Cutting

Water & feeding

Water needs
Moderate
Water per week
1–3 in/wk
Critical water
Establishment, Fruit set, Ripeningest
Feeding
Low

Timing & fruiting

Years to first harvest
3–10 yr
That is the grafted nursery tree, which is what a nursery sells.
Chill hours
400–1100 hrs
Pollination
Needs pollinizer
Harvest cues
Fruit coloring, Fruit sizing
Open blossoms damaged at
28 °F
Open blossoms killed at
24 °F

Edible parts per source: fruit.

What tends to go wrongmost-cited first
PestsPear psyllaCodling mothSpider mitesAphidsBorersJapanese beetleScale
DiseasesFire blightPear scabPowdery mildewAnthracnoseCankerBlack rotLeaf spot

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

All 38 varietiesthe ones with their own page are linked
Variety Type DaysColorSizeDiseaseWhat it is known for
20th Century Pear Heirloom Asian —
Anjou Pear Heirloom European — Utah State University Extension records this askeeps a long time after picking
Ayers Pear Heirloom — Bicolor FIRE_BLIGHT
Bartlett Pear Heirloom European —
Blake's Pride Pear — Yellow FIRE_BLIGHT
Bosc Pear Heirloom European — Utah State University Extension records this askeeps a long time after picking
Chojuro Pear Heirloom Asian — FIRE_BLIGHT
Clapp's Favorite Pear Heirloom — Bicolor Very Large
Colette Pear — Bicolor Large
Comice Pear Heirloom European — Utah State University Extension records this askeeps a long time after picking
Duchess d'Angouleme Pear Heirloom — Very Large FIRE_BLIGHT
Flemish Beauty Pear Heirloom — Bicolor Large
Golden Russet Bosc Pear — Large Stark Bro's describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Harrow Delight Pear — Bicolor FIRE_BLIGHT
Harrow Sweet Pear — Medium FIRE_BLIGHT
Hosui Pear Asian — Large
Kieffer Pear Heirloom — Large FIRE_BLIGHT Dave Wilson Nursery describes this astakes the heat
Korean Giant Pear — Very Large Stark Bro's describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Kosui Pear Asian — Small FIRE_BLIGHT
Luscious Pear — Yellow Small FIRE_BLIGHT
Magness Pear — Medium FIRE_BLIGHT
Moonglow Pear — Large FIRE_BLIGHT
Niitaka Pear Asian — Very Large
Orcas Pear — Bicolor Very Large
Parker Pear Heirloom — Yellow Large
Patten Pear — Bicolor Large
Red Anjou Pear — Red Dave Wilson Nursery describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Red Bartlett Pear Heirloom — Red
Rescue Pear — Bicolor Very Large
Seckel Pear Heirloom — Small FIRE_BLIGHT
Shenandoah Pear — Bicolor Large FIRE_BLIGHT Stark Bro's describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Shinko Pear Asian — FIRE_BLIGHT
Shinseiki Pear Asian — Yellow
Summercrisp Pear — Bicolor FIRE_BLIGHT University of Minnesota (MN Hardy) records this astakes the cold
Sunrise Pear — Bicolor Large FIRE_BLIGHT
Ubileen Pear — Bicolor Large
Warren Pear — Large FIRE_BLIGHT Dave Wilson Nursery describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Ya Li Pear Heirloom Asian — Green FIRE_BLIGHT
Sources12 cited · 10 organizations
  • Alabama Cooperative Extension System
  • Michigan State University Extension
  • Mississippi State University Extension
  • NC State Extension
  • University of Georgia Extension
  • University of Illinois Extension
  • University of Minnesota Extension
  • University of New Hampshire Extension
  • Utah State University Extension
  • Washington State University Tree Fruit

We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 21 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.

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