For optimum fruit production in the low desert, choose deciduous fruit tree varieties that require less than 400 hours of chilling, produce early maturing fruit and are self-pollinating if you have limited space. Download the publication to see harvesting calendars for the low desert for each species covered in this publication.
Most deciduous fruit and nut trees from temperate climates require a genetically determined amount of cold weather (chill hours) to set fruit. While there is still some disagreement in the scientific community around how to precisely calculate chill hours, a good rule of thumb is to count the number of hours between November 1st and February 15th that are between 320 and 450 F. These hours are cumulative and need not be continuous. The most benefit is derived from chilling hours occurring in December and January. Daytime temperatures above 600 F during this period may negatively affect the cumulative total. Most areas of the low desert in Arizona average between 300 to 400 chilling hours per year. By selecting varieties of fruit that require less than 400 hours of chilling to set fruit you can be sure of a full crop almost every year. Select varieties which mature before the hot summer temperatures arrive to avoid sunburning fruit. If space is a consideration, choose a self-fruitful/self- pollinating variety. Many deciduous fruit trees require cross pollination to bear fruit. Thus, it is necessary to have two varieties of the same type fruit in order for either tree to bear abundant fruit. A self-pollinating variety will have good fruit set even with only one tree.
The rootstock onto which a fruit tree is grafted can impact the tree in a variety of ways, including:
- provide disease resistance or tolerance for pathogens such as Root-Knot Nematodes, Oak Root Fungus and Phytopthora;
- improve performance in a particular soil type, i. e. some rootstocks perform well in clay soils, others in sandy soils;
- control growth rate and mature size;
- increase drought tolerance;
- increase salt tolerance; and
- modify fruit quality including taste, texture, size and yield.
Apricot
Blenheim (Royal): Tender and aromatic. Sweet medium to large fruits that can be enjoyed fresh, dried, or canned. Early to bloom. 400 chill hours. Self-fruitful.
Gold Kist: Excellent backyard apricot for warm winter climates. Freestone, very good quality. Heavy bearing. Early harvest, late May to early June. Requires 300 chill hours. Self-fruitful.
Katy: Large, all purpose flavorful freestone. Tree ripe fruit is subacid (not tart). A favorite apricot for warm-winter climates. Early harvest, late May to early June. Requires 400 chill hours. Self-fruitful.
Modesto: Commercially grown for shipping. Early season, large fruits with dense flesh and mild flavor. 300-400 hours chilling. Self-fruitful.
Figs
Black Mission: Popular and flavorful for eating fresh or dried. Medium to large pear-shaped fruit has skin which is black-purple and strawberry-colored flesh. Tree is large and long lived. Well adapted to elevations below 2,000 feet.
Brown Turkey: Sweet tasting and best eaten fresh. Bell shaped medium to large fruit has browish- purple skin with pink flesh. Tree is large and best adapted to 2,000-3,000 feet. Not as prolific as Mission.
Conadria (White): Mild and sweet with whitish-pink flesh. Large fruit with cream to light green colored skin. Good, eaten fresh or dried. Tolerates heat well.
White Kadota: Good, fresh or dried, suitable for canning. Fruit is medium sized with yellow skin. Flesh is amber with few seeds. Hot weather aids in ripening.
Peaches
Bonanza Miniature: Popular yellow freestone - large fruit is sweet, low in acid, with a mild, refreshing flavor. Mid-to-late May in low desert climates. Five- to six-foot tree. Chilling requirement very low, 250 hours or less. Self-fruitful. August Pride: Large, all-purpose yellow freestone for mild- winter climates. Sweet, aromatic, rich flavor, one of the best. Chilling requirement less than 300 hours. Self- fruitful.
Babcock: Long-time favorite white-fleshed freestone. Sweet and juicy, aromatic, low in acid. Very high-scoring in taste test. Chilling requirement of 250-300 hours. Self-fruitful.
Desert Gold: Very early ripening: mid-May in Arizona. Tree-ripened fruit has good flavor and sweetness for such an early variety. Yellow Clingston. Heavy bearing. Chilling requirement of 250 hours. Self-fruitful.
Desert Red: An excellent quality, firm cling peach that has good color. Produces large fruit when thinned and girdled. Chilling requirement of 250-300 hours. Self-fruitful.
Earligrande: Medium size, low-chill peach from Gulf Coast Texas. Yellow semi-freestone. Very early (May). Successful in Arizona and similar climates. Chilling requirement of 275 hours. Self-fruitful. Eva’s Pride: Delicious, fine-flavored peach with very low-chilling requirement. Medium- to large-sized yellow freestone. Ripens early-to-late May. Chilling requirement of 100-200 hours. Self-fruitful.
Florida Prince: From Florida, successfully grown in Arizona. Yellow, semi-cling, larger fruit than Desert Gold, more tolerant of desert heat. Ripens late April to early May in Arizona. Very good quality when tree-ripe. Chilling requirement of 150 hours. Self-fruitful. Florida Grande: Excellent yellow-fleshed semi-freestone peach. Flesh will have some red coloration at maturity. Requires less than 100 chill hours.
May Pride: Very early-ripening, semi-freestone peach for warm winter climates. Ripens in May with Desert Gold. Delicious, sweet and tangy fruit. Very large for such an early peach. Large, showy pink blossoms. Chilling requirement 175 - 200 hours. Self-fruitful.
Mid-Pride: Best yellow freestone for warm winter climates. Mid-season peach. Chilling requirement of 250 hours. Self- fruitful. Tropic Beauty: Excellent quality yellow flesh, firm freestone peach. Produces a large fruit when thinned and girdled properly. Chilling requirement of 100-200 hours. Good for the low desert. Self-fruitful. Ripens early May.
Tropic Snow: Medium-sized fruit. Skin is white with red blush. White sweet flesh. Good flavor. Freestone. Ripens early May. Chilling requirement 175-200 hours. Self-fruitful.
Tropic Sweet: Good quality freestone, yellow-fleshed peach. Fruit are very large when thinned and girdled properly. Ripens just after Tropic Beauty. Chilling requirement of 100- 200 hours. Self-fruitful. Ripens mid- May.
Vallegrande: This is an excellent quality, semi-freestone, yellow-fleshed peach. Flesh is firm and ripens to 60% blush at maturity. Flesh becomes red as fruit matures. Chilling requirement of 100-250 hours. Self-fruitful. Ripens early May.
Pears
Floridahome: Very nice quality, sweet, smooth-textured, juicy, flavorful. Early bloom. Chilling requirement less than 400 hours. Partly self-fruitful.
Kieffer: Medium to large late season fruit. Canning/ cooking. Sprightly flavor, coarse texture. Resists fireblight, tolerates hot climates. Dependable crops. 350 hours. Self- fruitful.
Asian Pears
Shinseiki: Juicy, sweet, refreshing, crisp like an apple. Easy to grow. Keeps well. Harvest June in the desert. Bright yellow skin. Vigorous, heavy bearing. Chilling requirement of 350-400 hours. Self-fruitful.
Persimmons
Fuyu (Jiro) (“Apple Persimmon”): Medium size, flat shape, still hard when ripe, non-astringent. Cool or hot climate. Hardy, attractive tree, practically pest free. Chilling requirement 200 hours. Self-fruitful.
Giant Fuyu: Larger, not so flat as Fuyu. Crunchy when ripe like Fuyu. Sweet, flavorful, non-astringent. Easy to grow, cool or hot climates. Chilling requirement of 200 hours. Self- fruitful.
Izu: Very sweet, tasty, non-astringent. Fruit ripen about three weeks before Fuyu. Medium to large size, round shape. Relatively small tree, good choice for backyard persimmon. Sometimes difficult to start from bareroot. Chilling requirement of 100 hours. Self-fruitful.
Plums
Beauty: Sweet, flavorful plum. Red over yellow skin, amber flesh streaked red. Chilling requirement of 250 hours. Self- fruitful. Gulf Gold: Green-skinned plum which turns yellowish when ripe. Juicy, sweet, yellow flesh. Chilling requirement of 250 hours. Self-fruitful.
Gulf Ruby: Sweet, juicy plum, with reddish-purple skin and amber flesh. Chilling requirement of 250 hours. Self- fruitful.
Methley: Juicy, sweet, red flesh, mild flavor. Reddish purple skin. Attractive tree, heavy bearing and vigorous. Chilling requirement of 250 hours. Self-fruitful.
Santa Rosa: Most popular plum in California and Arizona. Juicy, tangy, flavorful. Reddish-purple skin, amber flesh tinged red. Chilling requirement of 300 hours. Self-fruitful.
Quince
Orange Quince: Small to medium, round, bright yellow fruits with orange yellow flesh. Flavorful, aromatic, used for cooking. Early harvest. Old variety. Cold hardy, yet low chilling requirement of 300 hours. Self-fruitful.
Pineapple Quince: Heavy crops of medium to large, tart fruit used in baking, jams, and jellies. Profuse, ornamental bloom. Cold hardy, yet low chilling requirement of 300 hours. Self-fruitful.
Almonds
Garden Prince Genetic Dwarf: Compact, lushly foliated 10-12 foot tree. Soft shell, kernels especially sweet and tasty. Bears young and heavy. Chilling requirement of 250 hours. Self-fruitful.
Pecans
Apache (B): Large soft-shelled nut, long broad flat kernel. Chilling requirement of 250 hours. Needs pollenizer from A group. Cheyenne (A): Bears heavy and early. Nuts are medium size, soft shell, with excellent kernel quality. Tree is somewhat susceptible to limb breakage; slow growing tree. Needs a pollenizer from B group.
Choctaw (B): Tree is vigorous and is an excellent producer. Moderately precocious. Produces pecans of outstanding quality. Shells are thin and cracks into half kernels very easily. Needs a pollenizer from A group.
Comanche (B): Medium to large sized nuts, nearly round, thin shelled. Good producer, nut quality is excellent. Nuts tend to sprout. Needs a pollenizer from A group. Sioux (B): Good producer with small to medium sized nuts with outstanding kernel quality. A little slow to begin producing, moderately precocious. Needs a pollenizer from A group.
Western Schley (A): Easy to grow, nut long, tapered, medium sized, thin-shelled, good kernel quality. Self- fruitful. Early bearing 4 to 5 years. Recommended for single tree planting in home garden. Less affected by zinc deficiency than other cultivars. Prolific. Tendency for nuts to sprout (pregerm) in the low desert.
Wichita (B): Highly flavored, medium to large sized nuts are well-filled, soft shell. Plump, rich, distinctively flavored kernel. Bears heavy at young age. Pollinators are Cheyenne or Western Schley. Prone to zinc deficiency. Strong tendency for nuts to sprout (pregerm) in the low desert. Needs a pollenizer from A group.
Grapes
Beauty Seedless: Berries the size of Thompson are blue black, firm and sweet. Early and heavy producer. Thin clusters for best flavor.
Cardinal: Clusters large to medium in size. Very large, seeded, cherry red berries become reddish black with maturity. Use for arbor or summer house. Spur pruned.
Exotic: Berries are black, large, seeded, crisp and sweet. Berry irregular to oval in shape and has large clusters. Ripen in July. Spur pruned. Fantasy: Large, black, seedless berry used for table or raisin. Excellent flavor. Ripens in July. Cane pruned.
Flame seedless: light red, seedless, crisp, sweet berry. Cool nights are required for full color development. Ripens June- July. Spur pruned.
Perlette: Pale green, round, crisp, juicy seedless medium sized berry. Larger than Thompson, unique flavor - mild aromatic in flavor. Spur pruned, ripens in June.
Ruby seedless: Dark red, sweet, crisp, excellent fresh or raisin. Ripens after Thompson seedless. Chilling requirement of 100 hours, self-fruitful. Ripens in June. Spur pruned.
Thompson seedless: Most popular grape. Green, seedless berry, fresh or raisin. Very sweet. Self-fruitful. Chilling requirement of 100 hours. Ripens mid June - July. Cane pruned.
Kiwi
Abbott (Female): Emerald green medium sized fruits. Smooth edible skin. Sweet and tangy. Provide some afternoon shade in hot summers.
Dexter (Female): Elongated fruit well adapted to warm winter areas. Requires a pollinator. Requires good drainage and some late afternoon shade.
Elmwood (Female): Very large fruit. Requires spur pruning. Requires good drainage. Needs a pollinator.
Tomari (Male): Pollenizer for Females. Does not bear fruit. One male can pollinate up to eight females.
Vincent (Female): Low chilling required, which is adapted to Southern California. Tasty, well-regarded fuzzy skinned fruit. Requires pollinator.
Blackberries
Brazos: Very vigorous, thorny, erect plant which produces an abundance of large high quality berries. Berries are large, attractive appearance and heavy yields, tart acid flavor.
Rosborough: Vigorous moderately upright canes which produces well in a wide variety of soil and climatic conditions. Fruit are large, attractive in appearance and have a sweeter flavor than Brazos.
Strawberries
Camerosa: Plants are large and vigorous. Fruit are large, firm wedge shaped berries of good quality.
Chandler: Plant is large and vigorous. Produces nice berries which are smaller than Camerosa, but tend to be sweeter. Sequoia: Produces a big vigorous plant. Fruit are large, wedge shaped of high quality, but soft when ripe.
Tioga: This plant is very large and vigorous with big, dark green glossy leaves. Fruit are very large, firm wedge shaped berries of medium quality.