Collection: Pear Trees
Pears are a great fruit for Central Vermont. While we are all familiar with the old apple trees that dot our hills, the pears are sadly rare. Though some varieties are not well-suited to our cold climate, many are. Pear trees and fruit suffer from fewer pests and diseases than apple trees, making it easier to grow high quality fruit.
Let us cover our hillsides with pears!
Pear trees grow similarly to apples but typically with a more upright pattern. We recommend minimal pruning as heavy cutting can lead to very vigorous suckering making trees less productive and more susceptible to fireblight, which can be a problem for some pear varieties. Allowing the trees to bear may be the best way to keep them a manageable size, they can be kept to 15ft with judicious pruning, but many varieties will want to grow to 25 feet or more. Plant 20-30 ft apart.
Pear Pollination:
There are two different strains of pear: communis (European) and ussuriensis (Siberian), which flower at slightly different times and will not reliably pollinate each other. Plant communis types with communis types, and ussuriensis types with ussuriensis types for most reliable fruit set. Plant at least two different varieties for pollination. Some pear varieties produce very little pollen, making them poor pollinators for other trees. If planting a poor pollinator plant at least three different varieties. The more the merrier!
