Fruit Trees for Humboldt/Del Norte Counties

 

Our main problem here on the coast in USDA Cold Hardiness zone 9, is not heat, but lack of it and also lack of what is known as chill factor, the time below 45F and above 32F. If you only go by the USDA zones, which are classed here as subtropical, you can plant all sorts of things, but because The USDA system does not take into account lack of heat, many trees will not produce fruit, even if they grow. This is further complicated by many fruit trees needing more chill time than others. Trees that produce well in northern areas may not do so here due to this lack of chill. Which is where local gardening knowledge and publications come into play. A better, western-centric guide, called the Sunset Zones. Find out your zone and additional information on our website. The Sunset Zone map indicates 6 Zones for Humboldt/Del Norte, so make sure you check that out to determine yours.  Your property may have microclimates which can affect what you can "get away with".  Once you have your zone, you can navigate to many sites on the web to find what works for your site.

For fruit trees, there is a local publication, titled Fruits of the Humboldt Bay, by Sean Armstrong.  In addition, on our website you can find L.E. Cook Wholes Nursery's recommended variety list for the Humboldt/Del Norte Western Sunset Zones. California Rare Fruit Growers is a good place to see if varieties will bear here.

The key phrase here is "will BEAR here". Most things grow here, but getting a crop is important to most people who plant here, so pay attention to zones and try not to fall into the trap of thinking, "it's just one zone away".

Dave Wilson Nursery is a wholesale nursery that has good lists and photos of fruit that does well here. Many videos and how-to articles also. You will have to source the plants elsewhere, however, several local retailers do carry Dave Wilson products. The Pacific Horticulture Society  A Resource Guide to fruit trees for the Pacific Northwest

Keep mindful for selecting disease resistance of any fruit variety you are interested in, as our temperate, moist climate supports many fungal diseases that are easier to avoid by selecting resistant varieties than trying to treat susceptible varieties.

The Humboldt Permaculture Guild's has presentations, like the annual Fruit Tree Scion and Rootstock Exchange and the annual Plant and Seed Exchange, both held in the past at the Arcata Community Center. These haven't been held for the past two times due to the pandemic. I strongly recommend attending the next events! You can find them on Facebook.

I have 6 different quince varieties in my orchard/food forest. They all have stellar performance, Drop-Dead Beautiful blooms, disease resistance, and most only need 100 hours or less of chill, which is easy to get here! 'Pineapple' is my personal favorite; it's almost edible without cooking. Sublime once cooked, my favorite fall/winter fruit. And oh-so fragrant of vanilla-pineapple. 'Orange' out-produces the others, even beginning as a transplant. I never can figure why more people don't grow quince.