Fruit Tree Planner

Elephant Heart is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with soft, juicy flesh and very large fruit. In this group, it is one of the softer, juicier choices, so it leans more toward fresh eating than long holding. Choose it for fresh eating, market-style show fruit, and late-summer dessert platters, but skip it if you want small-batch preserving or firm fruit for rough handling. It usually ripens around late August to early September, later than most of the others shown.

Santa Rosa is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with juicy flesh with moderate firmness and large fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating, baking, preserves, and all-purpose Japanese plum harvests, but skip it if you want the very earliest crop or a dry-fleshed prune plum. It usually ripens around early to mid August, in the middle of this group.

Satsuma is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for jam, sauce, fresh eating, and darker flavor, but skip it if you want very mild dessert-plum eating or long, firm countertop holding. It usually ripens around mid to late August, in the middle of this group.

Beauty is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating and getting the plum season started early, but skip it if you want a firm preserving plum or strong winter hardiness. It usually ripens around mid to late July, earlier than most of the others shown.

Hollywood is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating, jam, and growers who like red-fleshed novelty fruit, but skip it if you want firm slicing, long storage, or a very mild sweet plum. It usually ripens around mid to late August, in the middle of this group.

Methley is very sweet with low acidity, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it is one of the softer, juicier choices, so it leans more toward fresh eating than long holding. Choose it for fresh eating and early-season backyard snacking, but skip it if you want long keeping, firm baking slices, or a more complex tart-sweet plum. It usually ripens around mid to late July, earlier than most of the others shown.

Shiro is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with soft, juicy flesh and large fruit. In this group, it is one of the softer, juicier choices, so it leans more toward fresh eating than long holding. Choose it for fresh eating and easygoing backyard dessert plums, but skip it if you want sharp acidity, dark skin, or high-intensity preserving flavor. It usually ripens around late July to early August, in the middle of this group.

Castleton is sweet with a soft acidic lift, with firm, dense flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it is one of the firmest choices, so it handles baking, slicing, or holding its shape better. Choose it for drying, baking, prune-style preserves, and structured fresh eating, but skip it if you want a soft, dripping dessert plum or the earliest plum on the tree. It usually ripens around early to mid September, later than most of the others shown.

Damson is tart-forward with sharp acidity, with firm, dense flesh and small fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for jam, jelly, chutney, and cooks who want strong plum intensity, but skip it if you want fresh snacking if you want a sweet, mellow dessert plum. It usually ripens around early to mid September, later than most of the others shown.

Green Gage is very sweet with low acidity and real depth, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it is one of the softer, juicier choices, so it leans more toward fresh eating than long holding. Choose it for premium fresh eating, jam, and growers who care most about dessert quality, but skip it if you want heavy hauling, long holding, or batches where you want large, easy-to-pit fruit. It usually ripens around mid to late August, in the middle of this group.

Italian Prune / Fellenberg is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with firm, dense flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it is one of the firmest choices, so it handles baking, slicing, or holding its shape better. Choose it for drying, baking, preserving, and late-season kitchen plums, but skip it if you want a juicy early dessert plum for eating out of hand. It usually ripens around early to mid September, later than most of the others shown.

Mount Royal is sweet with a soft acidic lift, with juicy flesh with moderate firmness and medium fruit. In this group, this is one of the richest-tasting options. Choose it for fresh eating, preserves, and cold-climate European plum plantings, but skip it if you want oversized show fruit or very soft dessert flesh. It usually ripens around late August to early September, in the middle of this group.

Stanley is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with firm, dense flesh and large fruit. In this group, it is one of the firmest choices, so it handles baking, slicing, or holding its shape better. Choose it for drying, canning, baking, and dependable all-purpose home harvests, but skip it if you want growers chasing the richest dessert-style sweetness or a very early crop. It usually ripens around early to mid September, later than most of the others shown.

Alderman is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with juicy flesh with moderate firmness and large fruit. In this group, it gives some of the largest fruit and feels more substantial than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating, tarts, and batches where you want big, handsome slicing fruit, but skip it if you want quick early harvests, heavy jam work, or growers who prefer a softer dark-fleshed plum. It usually ripens around late August, later than most of the others shown.

BlackIce is very sweet with low acidity and real depth, with soft, juicy flesh and large fruit. In this group, it is one of the softer, juicier choices, so it leans more toward fresh eating than long holding. Choose it for fresh eating, sauce, and cold-climate dessert quality early, but skip it if you want long handling, firm baking slices, or the latest plum season possible. It usually ripens around early August, earlier than most of the others shown.

La Crescent is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it is one of the softer, juicier choices, so it leans more toward fresh eating than long holding. Choose it for fresh eating, preserves, and bright flavor in a hardy plum, but skip it if you want very large fruit, long shelf life, or dense prune-style kitchen use. It usually ripens around mid August, in the middle of this group.

Pembina is sweet with just enough acidity to stay lively, with soft, juicy flesh and large fruit. In this group, it gives some of the largest fruit and feels more substantial than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating, cooking, preserves, and broad home-orchard use, but skip it if you want the earliest plum slot or a very firm, dry-fleshed prune type. It usually ripens around late August, in the middle of this group.

Superior is tart-forward with sharp acidity, with soft, juicy flesh and large fruit. In this group, this brings more acidity and bite than most of the others shown. Choose it for fresh eating, canning, and hardy-climate dessert plum harvests, but skip it if you want the richest dark-fruit character or very late European-plum timing. It usually ripens around mid to late August, in the middle of this group.

Toka is very sweet with low acidity, with soft, juicy flesh and medium fruit. In this group, it is one of the softer, juicier choices, so it leans more toward fresh eating than long holding. Choose it for fresh eating and as a standout pollen partner in hardy plum plantings, but skip it if you want drying, firm baking slices, or a more restrained flavor profile. It usually ripens around mid to late August, in the middle of this group.

Waneta is lightly sweet with a definite tart edge, with juicy flesh with moderate firmness and medium fruit. Choose it for fresh eating, preserves, and colder sites where you still want solid dessert fruit, but skip it if you want growers who only want ultra-soft dessert texture or very early ripening. It usually ripens around late August, in the middle of this group.