Skip to main content

What are stone fruits and should you add them to your garden?

cherries on a wooden rail

What are stone fruits?

A stone fruit is a fruit with a large stone, or pit, inside. The pit is sometimes mistakenly called a seed, but it’s actually a hard protective covering that envelops the seed. Sometimes the stone is called a shell. The term “stone fruit” traditionally refers to members of the botanical genus Prunus. This group includes familiar foods such as almonds, apricots, cherries, nectarines, peaches, and plums.

Two terms that are often used to describe different varieties of stone fruits are “freestone” and “clingstone.” In the fruits from a freestone cultivar, the pits easily detach from the flesh, unlike the pits of clingstone types, which are strongly attached. Freestone fruits are more convenient for cooking, drying, and other applications that require manual removal of the pit. Clingstone varieties, however, have a strong reputation for superior flavor, tenderness, and juiciness.

Recommended Videos

The other stone fruits

Tradition doesn’t account for other familiar fruits that share similar features with Prunus fruits. More expansively speaking, most of the fruits that are botanically defined as “drupes” could be classified as stone fruits.

Botanists define a drupe as any fruit that has an outer fleshy part surrounding a shell that houses a seed. And, to make it more interesting, drupes and berries are different classifications with blurred lines separating them. Some of these “other stone fruits” include blackberries, coconuts, dates, lychees, mangoes, mulberries, olives, and raspberries. (Blackberries, mulberries, and raspberries are further defined as “aggregate fruits” because they’re cluster fruits formed from several carpels on individual flowers.)

girl in a blue dress with hands full of peaches
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Should you grow stone fruits in your garden?

The traditional stone fruits, those in the Prunus classification, are made up of small trees and large shrubs that thrive in mild temperate climates. If you live somewhere between USDA hardiness zones 4 and 9, there’s probably a stone fruit for you. Each of these crops, and indeed each variety of each crop, has unique growing nuances that can make the difference between simply surviving and absolutely thriving. Below are some of the general growing requirements they all share.

Climate

The listed hardiness zones indicate the minimum cold tolerance for each type, which is just a starting point. Not listed is the required number of chill hours, or total hours below 40 degrees, these trees need during the dormant season to stimulate flower and fruit production. Required chill hours vary significantly among the different varieties within each fruit type. Heat is also an important factor. Some of these crops grow better than others in areas with long, hot summers. Consult your state’s Cooperative Extension Service for help in choosing varieties for your area.

  • Apricot, zones 5 to 9
  • Almond, zones 7 to 9
  • Sweet cherry, zones 4 to 7
  • Sour cherry, zones 4 to 6
  • Nectarine, zones 5 to 9
  • Peach, zones 5 to 8
  • Plums, zones 4 to 9

Soil and growing requirements

Generally, stone fruits require a location with at least 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight and excellent air circulation. Pay special attention to the projected mature size of your fruit trees and space them accordingly. Well-drained soil with a pH between six and seven is critical for optimum nutrient uptake and for protection against certain root diseases.

Pruning

Annual pruning, typically in winter, is necessary to promote a strong branch structure and to remove diseased, dying, and dead branches. Pruning also helps to improve air circulation and sunlight penetration for better disease resistance.

ripe almond ready for harvest
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Diseases and insects

It’s hard to beat the juicy sweetness of a garden fresh peach, plum, or nectarine, and cherry pies taste all the better from fruit you grew yourself. But these crops are not known for their simplicity and carefree nature. To grow them successfully, you must be prepared to protect them from a variety of diseases and insects.

Stone fruits are susceptible to a variety of diseases and insects that weaken the tree or spoil the fruit. Most homeowners use either separate insecticide and fungicide applications, or a single “fruit tree spray” that prevents both kinds of pests, on a predetermined schedule throughout the year. Treatments are timed according to the tree’s growth cycle, particularly keying in on flowering stages in the spring. It’s important to prevent problems without harming pollinators and other beneficial creatures.

If you have the garden space and time to cultivate them, stone fruits can be some of the most rewarding trees in the garden. From their gorgeous flowers in the late winter and early spring, to the potentially massive crops of amazingly delicious fruit, they have a lot to offer the dedicated gardener.

Mark Wolfe
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Mark Wolfe is a freelance writer who specializes in garden, landscaping, and home improvement. After two decades in the…
Best avocado growing zones: Where to plant for success
Do you live in a region where you can grow delicious avocados?
Hand holding avocado on a tree

Avocado trees may have originated in Central and South America, but today, the plant is enjoyed all around the world. While you can get your avocados imported, you may be able to grow your own, depending on where you live. Long story short, the avocado growing zone consists of hot and humid climates, so don't try to plant one in Siberia. Still, there are plenty of places in the U.S. that can sustain an avocado tree! If you want to try harvesting your own delicious avocados, here is what you need to know about where they grow best.
Preferred climates for avocados

Avocados can only grow in warm weather and subhumid climates, primarily tropical and Mediterranean temperatures that stay warm year-round. Being a tropical plant, the avocado tree hates growing in any temperature below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. That said, mature trees can tolerate temperatures as low as 30 degrees Fahrenheit for a short period.

Read more
Transform your garden with these beautiful landscape edging ideas
Try these ideas and up your garden game this spring
Various colorful flowers in a garden with a low wooden wall border

Garden beds are a classic way of organizing a garden, and they’re excellent for creating separate spaces that have different aesthetics or themes. However, there is a catch. If you want your garden beds to be unique areas, you need to keep them from blending into the rest of your yard or garden. If the edges aren’t neat, it can be difficult to tell where the bed begins and ends. Rough edges don’t just impact the aesthetics of your garden beds, though. They can also make certain parts of caring for your garden more difficult. To keep your garden beds orderly, here are a few landscape edging ideas for you to try.
What is landscape edging?

Landscape edging is a border between a garden bed and the rest of your garden or yard. They can look like almost anything, from a small wall to a decorative fence, and serve several functions. Aesthetically, they set the garden bed apart from the rest of the area, making it a contained unit. If you’re a fan of English country gardens, landscape edging can help you achieve the same effect in a smaller space.

Read more
How to use coffee grounds as fertilizer
Should you use coffee grounds on your blueberry bushes or other plants?
Dark coffee grounds in a silver measuring scoop

Enjoying a cup of coffee in your garden is a great way to start your morning, but did you know your garden might enjoy your leftover coffee grounds? Gardeners often recommend making fertilizer out of coffee grounds for blueberries or other acid-loving plants like azaleas. Coffee grounds are certainly easier to find and could be a more cost-effective option than fertilizer, but is it really an effective option? Before you start using coffee grounds in your garden, here's what you should know about how to use coffee grounds as fertilizer, especially with blueberry bushes.
Coffee grounds as fertilizer

Coffee grounds are mainly added to soil due to their high nitrogen content. Nitrogen is a key nutrient involved in plant growth and development. For soils that lack nitrogen, the boost that coffee grounds provide can be very helpful. However, it is a delicate balance. Too much nitrogen can actually stunt their growth.

Read more