Fruit Trees That You Can Grow in Nebraska

Nebraska contains Zone 4 and Zone 5 hardiness areas, in addition to five horticultural regions. The farther west you live in Nebraska, the more difficult fruit tree cultivation becomes. Although many varieties of apple, cherry and plum trees grow in Nebraska, only a select few flourish throughout the entire state.

The apple tree varieties that grow best in Nebraska are jerseymac, spartan, honeygold, regent and fireside, as recommended by William A. Gustafson, Jr., professor and extension horticulturist at University of Nebraska Lincoln (UNL).

Jerseymac apples show a red color that comes out brightly when the late summer days are hot. Suitable to both eat fresh and cook, they store for about a month. Jerseymac’s are known to be susceptible to both scab and fire-blight. After the flowers blossom, ripe apples appear within 110-115 days.

Spartan apples take longer to appear than jerseymacs, needing 120-140 days to create fully ripened fruit. Edible fresh or cooked, they make exceptional desserts.

Honeygold apples resemble golden delicious apples and ripen in about the same time span as jerseymacs. Anticipate fruit with a golden color with crisp and juicy flesh. Honeygold is prone to fire blight. Eat them fresh or cooked in a dessert.

Regent apples need 150-165 days from the onset of their blossoms to mature into medium sized, bright red fruit. Expect a juicy apple with crisp flesh, but watch out for scab and fire blight. Like the other previously mentioned apple tree varieties, they taste good fresh or in a dessert recipe.

Fireside apples ripen in the same time frame as regents. They resemble the all-time favorite red delicious with their large size and deep red color. Extra hardy, fireside apples withstand cold conditions better than their counterparts and have a longer storage capacity. Bite into a fresh fireside apple for a sweet and rich flavor or use them in your favorite dessert recipe.

Tart cherry varieties exhibit the hardiness necessary to withstand both hardiness zones and all of Nebraska’s horticultural regions. Tart cherries are too sour for most to eat fresh, but they work well in dessert recipes and sweetened juices. The UNL recommends north star, montmorency and meteor varieties which all self-pollinate.

North star cherries grow 6-9 feet high, which makes for easy picking. This naturally dwarfed tree produces fair quality fruit with red juice and flesh and tolerates cherry leaf spot fungus well.

Montmorency cherry trees, according to the horticultural department at Perdue University are "large, productive and vigorous." They bear large fruit, with light colored flesh of good quality that produces clear juice.

Only reaching a height of 10-12 feet, the Meteor cherry tolerates cold better than the aforementioned varieties. Look forward to large fruit with a bright red color that tastes great in pies.

Two varieties of plums are hardy enough to grow in all of Nebraska. As advised by UNL, plant superior (American-Japanese) and toka (American type) plum trees.

Superior plums are tasty fresh or cooked, withstand the cold and grow quickly. They require a companion tree to bear their large, bright red fruit.

Toka plum trees bear fruit with an apricot color, to be eaten fresh or in preserves. Expect a rich flavor from a medium sized fruit.