The most popular fruit tree in the world is the apple tree. It holds that position by a wide margin in both farms and home gardens. Apples grow across more climate zones and come in more varieties than any other tree fruit you can plant.
Apple trees dominate backyard orchards for three practical reasons. They adapt to zones 3 through 8, produce fruit that lasts months in cold storage, and come in hundreds of varieties. I've seen apple trees doing well in cold Minnesota winters and hot Georgia summers. No other fruit tree matches that kind of flexibility.
The numbers back up apple's dominance. USDA NASS data values the U.S. apple crop at $2.9 billion in production, making it the third most valuable fruit crop behind grapes and strawberries. Among top fruit trees worldwide, apples rank in the top three by tonnage in over 90 countries. China alone produces over 40 million metric tons of apples per year.
Four apple varieties stand out as the most planted. Honeycrisp leads in home gardens for its sweet-tart crunch and high market price. Gala and Fuji dominate grocery stores with their mild sweetness and long shelf life. Granny Smith remains the go-to baking apple. Each variety fills a different role, which is part of why apples stay on top year after year.
Other popular fruit trees earn their spots as strong runners-up. Peach trees rank second in most home garden surveys because of their fast growth and sweet summer fruit. Cherry trees win fans for both their fruit and their spring blossoms. Pear trees round out the top four with their tolerance for wet soil and minimal pest problems. These common fruit trees show up at every nursery and garden center across the country.
You might wonder why peaches and cherries don't take the top spot. Peach trees need more spraying and don't store well after harvest. Your peaches go soft within a week of picking while apples last for months in a cool basement. Cherry trees produce well but have a short harvest window. You get about two weeks to pick them before the birds clean up what's left. Apples give you a longer season and far more flexibility with your harvest.
Popularity matters more than you might think when you pick your first tree. Popular varieties get more breeding work, which means better disease resistance for you. Your local nursery stocks them in larger numbers too. You'll find more online guides and forum posts about popular apples than about any other fruit tree.
Your rootstock choices expand when you pick a popular tree type. Apple trees come on over a dozen rootstock options ranging from full-size to ultra-dwarf. You can match your tree to your yard size, your soil type, and your local conditions. A dwarf apple on M.26 rootstock fits in a space as small as 8 feet across and still gives you bushels of fruit each fall.
Start with an apple tree if you want the safest bet in fruit growing. Pick a disease-resistant variety like Liberty or Enterprise for low-spray growing. Or go with Honeycrisp if you want the best-tasting fresh apple. You're choosing the tree with the longest track record of success in home gardens.
When I planted my first apple tree ten years ago, I picked a Gala because it was the most common variety at my nursery. That turned out to be a smart move. I found answers to every question I had online within minutes. Try doing that with a quince or a medlar tree. Starting with a popular variety means you'll never be stuck without help when something goes wrong.
Read the full article: Best Fruit Trees for Your Garden
