Winters in South Dakota are always different, but one thing is certain: they often come too early and last long. Because of this the growing season is short and not all fruit trees do well in our state. When choosing the right fruit tree for your yard, try to choose one that blooms late and produces early. Because we usually have a frost right when the fruit trees bloom and it usually freezes again when things are beginning to produce in the garden.
It is often hard to become motivated enough to think about gardening during this time of year, especially when you look out at the snowy ground and leafless trees. But with some careful planning in the spring or fall, you can grow delicious fruit in your own back yard. Best of all, it will be free of pesticides and other harmful chemicals.
If you want a cherry tree to grow and produce an abundance of cherries, then you need to check which part of South Dakota you live in. For most areas, the North Star Cherry tree will do well. This is a dwarf cherry tree that reaches a height of 6 to 10 feet with a spread of 8 to 12 feet. The North Star cherry tree will grow in an area with full or partial shade and adapts to most types of soils. The bark is richly colored bark and in the spring, small white flowers appear. The cherries ripen in late June to late July. Another nice feature about the North Star cherry is that it doesn’t need a pollinator. It is cold hardy and disease resistant and will grow in a small yard. This is the cherry tree that most people grow if they like cooking with cherries.
I live where the zones 4 and 5 are borderline. In protected places, it is possible to grow sweet cherries such as Sweetheart and Stella. Both of these cherry trees grow 30 to 35 feet in height and are hardy in zones 5 through 7. They begin blooming in mid April and the fruit ripens in mid July for the sweetheart cherry and early July for the Stella cherry trees. No pollinator is needed for either one. The sweetheart cherries are one of the last cherries of the season. If you like to pick and eat cherries, then either one has delicious sweet fruit.
We have wild plums growing in the yard which I prefer to eat and grow. But if you don’t want to bother with wild plums, then Stanley plum trees do well. Stanley plum trees come as standard trees growing 25 to 30 feet in height and semi-dwarf trees which grow 15 to 18 feet in height, spreading 20 to 25 feet. They are self pollinating, but if you want a higher yield than you need to have another plum variety to pollinate. The plums are medium to large, dark blue in color and sweet to eat.
Apricots
We have several apricot trees growing in the yard, but unfortunately I have no idea of their name. Sungold is a variety that tolerates the cold South Dakota winters. This tree grows to heights of 12 to 15 feet and spreads 12 to 15 feet. The Sungold prefers to grow in full sun. The bright clear gold fruit is medium sized, with a mild sweet flavor. This tree flowers in late April and require another variety of apricot trees to pollinate.
Moongold is a good apricot tree to plant with the Sungold tree to use as a pollinator. Moongold apricots grow to 30 feet in height and spread 25 feet. This apricot tree is hardy to zone 3. Moongold apricots grow well in full sun. It flowers early in the spring, so there is a small chance that the flowers can be damaged by late spring frosts. The apricots ripen in mid-summer and they are excellent for making jam.
