What is the Fastest Growing Fruit Tree?

Fruit trees can be an attractive addition to any garden and can also produce eatable crops. When selecting a fruit tree, you should find out which trees grows the fastest. There are three categories of growth: slow, medium and fast. A slow-growing tree will grow 12 inches or less in height during each growing season. A medium-growth tree will grow 13 to 24 inches in a single season, while a fast-growing tree will grow in excess of 25 inches per growing season.

Slow-Growing Fruit Trees

Few fruit trees are listed a slow growing. The actual growth rate in any category will depend on issues including the region of the country you are in, the amount of rainfall received and the quality of your soil. These are all key for any tree to achieve its true growth potential.

Medium-Growing Fruit Trees

Cherry trees and almost all plum trees are in the medium-growth category. There are also some species of apple trees that are listed as medium growth. These include the Lodi Apple and the Red Jonathan trees.

Fast-Growing Fruit Trees

Peach trees, pear trees and apricot trees are among the fast-growing varieties of fruit trees. There are also three varieties of apple trees that fall into this category. The Early Harvest Apple, the Red Delicious and the Yellow Delicious are all fast growing and can produce a significant crop.

Producing Fruit

Plum trees and cherry trees produce fruit when they are 4 to 5 years of age and live as long as 20 years. Pear trees produce fruit when they are 5 to 8 years of age and live as long as 45 years. Apple trees produce fruit when they are 6 to 10 years of age and live as long as 45 years.

Size of Fruit Trees

Most varieties of apple trees grow to a maximum of 25 feet in height. Apple trees generally have an oval shape. Peach trees grow to a maximum of 25 feet in height and have a round shape when mature. Plum trees average a height of 20 feet when fully grown and have an oval shape. Pear trees, when mature, are oval shaped and can can reach 20 feet tall. Cherry trees grow to 18 feet in height and have a round shape. Apricot trees can reach as tall as 20 feet when fully grown and have a distinctive round shape.