10 FRUIT TREES That Produce in Hot Climates: 3 TO SKIP

If you're gardening in the low desert and want fruit trees that actually produce, this video is for you. After years of trial and error, these are my top 10 fruit trees for hot climates. Trees that give you a reliable harvest you'll actually eat. And three at skip. I'm Angela from Growing in the Garden in Mesa, Arizona. For more desert gardening tips, like, subscribe, and stick around. Let's start with the winners. Pomegranates. Easy to grow from cuttings, produces within a few years, no pruning or thinning required. Takes full sun and less water than most fruit trees. You just have to look out for the leaf-footed bugs. I like the wonderful variety. Peach trees. Choose a low-chill variety like Desert Gold or Florida Prince. They produce early in the season, so you have a crop before it gets hot. The flavor is amazing. If you're diligent about pruning and thinning, you'll have large, delicious fruit. Figs. Figs thrive in our heat and poor soils once they're established. I love Black Mission and Kedona. Give them space. They get big. Or grow them in a container. They'll reward you with two crops a year. Anna apple trees. My top choice for an apple tree in the desert. It needs very few chill hours and produces heavily. You'll need to thin the fruit for larger size fruit, but expect great harvests beginning in year three. There's always plenty to eat fresh, and I preserve the extras by drying them or canning applesauce. Lemon tree. Every yard should have a lemon tree. You can harvest lemons from the tree for several months of the year. It's simple to preserve the juice, use the zest in cooking or tea, you name it. You can't go wrong with Meyer or Lisbon. Lemon trees can grow large. Choose a Meyer if space is limited. Lime trees. There's something so satisfying about harvesting homegrown limes. Almost any time of the year if I need a lime, I come out and check the tree, and I can usually find a couple on the tree. Choose a warm spot in your yard. These plants are frost sensitive, especially during the first few years. Try key lime or bears. Both do well in the low desert. Orange trees. The low desert is one of the few places where citrus grows outside year round. Take advantage of it. Choose a type of orange you like. There's so many options. Try them and see which one you prefer. Want something easy to peel or that grows well in a container? Go with a Clementine. You like juice? Valencia. Fresh eating? Navel. Give them all afternoon shade and deep regular watering. Mulberry trees. Like pomegranates, mulberries grow easily from cuttings. You'll often get fruit the first year and before long, buckets of fruit from a fast growing tree. Pakistan or Black Beauty varieties produce large sweet berries. They also make great shade trees, so give them plenty of room to grow. Barbados cherry. This tropical style fruit tree doesn't mind full sun and starts producing well around year three. Their fruit is tangy and packed with vitamin C. It's heat tolerant and desert adapted. Use the cherries to add a tropical flavor to your fresh squeezed lemonade. Grapes. Okay, technically not a tree, but the vines take up less space than a tree and the fruit production makes them worth it. Learn how to prune them and water deeply, but less often. Grapes love our dry heat. Flame seedless and Thompson seedless are reliable choices. These 10 will give you reliable harvests, are self-pollinating, that means you don't need another tree to help or produce fruit, and the fruit is something easy to use and enjoy. Now let's talk about three I'd skip. Avoid apples that need more chill hours than we have. I've tried them. I planted gorgeous espalier Fuji apple trees and they looked amazing, but not one apple after seven years. Our winters just aren't long or cold enough. Stick with an apple if you want success. Skip fruit you don't like or won't use. If you don't like figs, don't plant a fig tree. It sounds simple, but fruit trees take time, space, water, and care. Make sure it's something you'll actually use. Try to sample different varieties before you commit. And finally, skip high maintenance pipe dreams. Avocado, I'm looking at you. They say it can be done, but it takes extra water, shade, frost protection, and the perfect microclimate. For me, it's not worth the effort. If I'm giving up soil space and water for a tree, it needs to produce consistently without extravagant methods. Those are my top picks for fruit trees that actually perform in the low desert and the ones I'd skip. What about you? What's producing in your yard? Which trees did I miss and what should I plant next? Drop your favorites in the comments. I'd love to hear what's working in your garden. What a thriving desert garden! Join my monthly online classes, live or on replay, and get instant access to past classes and journals. Bring your questions and let's grow together in Growing in the Garden Academy.