GardenTrack
Join the beta

Perennial Fruit Tree · zones 4–9 · 40 varieties

Plum

Prunus domestica / Prunus salicina

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

Plum (Prunus domestica / Prunus salicina) is a perennial fruit tree for USDA zones 4–9. It wants full sun and pH 6–6.5 soil, with about 1–2 in of water weekly. First real harvest comes in 2–5 yr on a grafted nursery tree. Watch for plum curculio and brown rot. Below: its full sourced profile from 10 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.

Zones 4–9 — USDA USDA
Sun Full sun
Water Moderate
First harvest 2–5 yr — grafted grafted
Mature size 10–20 ft
Spacing 144–264 in
Soil pH 6–6.5
Frost Hardy
When to plant plumtypical · zone 6b
Your zone
…or your ZIP, for your real frost dates

Dormant
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 plumevery 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.

Site & soil

Hardiness zones
4–9
Sun
Full sun
Soil pH
6–6.5
Soil texture
Sandy loam, Sandy clay loam, Well drained
Frost tolerance
Hardy

The plant

Mature height
10–20 ft
Mature spread
10–20 ft
Growth rate
Moderateest
Spacing in row
144–264 in
Between rows
216–264 in
Container size
15–25 gal — low end is the minimum, high end is betterest
Support
Self-supportingest
Grown from
Grafting, Budding, Cutting, Seed

Water & feeding

Water needs
Moderate
Water per week
1–2 in/wk
Critical water
Fruit set, Ripening, Harvest windowest
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
500–1100 hrs
Pollination
Partially self fertile
Harvest cues
Fruit coloring
Open blossoms damaged at
28 °F
Open blossoms killed at
23 °F

Edible parts per source: fruit.

What tends to go wrongmost-cited first
PestsPlum curculioAphidsSpider mitesSan jose scalePeachtree borerJapanese beetleSpotted wing drosophilaApple maggotCodling mothOriental fruit moth
DiseasesBrown rotBlack knotBacterial cankerBacterial leaf spotPlum leaf scorchPlum pocketCoryneum blightCytospora cankerRust

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.

PeopleCyanogenic seeds, Amygdalin

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 40 varietiesthe ones with their own page are linked
Variety Type DaysColorSizeWhat it is known for
Alderman American Hybrid — Purple Large
Au Rosa Japanese — Red
Beauty Heirloom Japanese — Bicolor
Black Ice American Hybrid — Purple University of Minnesota Extension records this astakes the cold
Black Splendor Japanese — Purple
Blackamber Japanese — Purple
Blue Damson Heirloom European — Purple
Bubblegum Heirloom American Hybrid — Red Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co. describes this astakes the cold
Burbank Heirloom Japanese — Bicolor
Casselman Japanese — Red
Convoy Heirloom Cherry Plum — Red Silver Creek Nursery Ltd. describes this astakes the cold
Damson Heirloom European — Purple
Elephant Heart Heirloom Japanese —
Ember — Yellow Medium Stark Bro's Nurseries & Orchards Co. describes this astakes the cold
Emerald Beaut Japanese — Green Dave Wilson Nursery describes this askeeps a long time after picking
French Petite d'Agen Heirloom European — Purple
Green Gage Heirloom European — Green Small
Italian Prune Heirloom European — Purple
LaCrescent Heirloom American Hybrid — Yellow Small
Methley Heirloom Japanese — Purple Dave Wilson Nursery describes this astakes the cold
Mount Royal Heirloom European — Purple University of Minnesota Extension records this astakes the cold
Ozark Premier Heirloom Japanese — Red Large
Pipestone Heirloom American Hybrid — Red Very Large
President Heirloom European — Purple
Red Heart Japanese — Bicolor Dave Wilson Nursery describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Reine Claude Verte Heirloom European — Green Paramount Plants and Gardens describes this astakes the cold
Ruby Queen Japanese — Red
Santa Rosa Heirloom Japanese — Purple
Satsuma Heirloom Japanese — Bicolor
Shiro Heirloom Japanese — Yellow
South Dakota Heirloom American Hybrid — Red Small Montana Fruit Trees describes this astakes the cold
Stanley Heirloom European — Purple
Superior Heirloom American Hybrid — Red
Toka Heirloom American Hybrid — Red Small Dave Wilson Nursery describes this astakes the cold
Underwood Heirloom American Hybrid — Red University of Minnesota Extension records this astakes the cold
Vanier Japanese — Red Medium
Victoria Heirloom European — Purple Medium
Waneta Heirloom American Hybrid — Red University of Minnesota Extension records this astakes the cold
Weeping Santa Rosa Japanese — Dave Wilson Nursery describes this ashappy in a pot
Yellow Egg Heirloom European — Yellow Large
Sources10 cited · 8 organizations
  • ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
  • Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center
  • NC State Extension
  • National Capital Poison Center (Poison Control)
  • University of Georgia Cooperative Extension
  • University of Maine Cooperative Extension
  • University of Minnesota Extension
  • Utah State University Extension

We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 19 of the 23 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 plum? 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 →