The fast growing fruit tree that beats most others to first harvest is the fig tree. Peach trees come in as a close second. A fig planted in spring can give you a small crop by late summer of that same year in warm climates. Peach trees produce solid harvests within 2 to 3 years of planting.
I planted a Brown Turkey fig one April and picked a dozen ripe figs by September of the same year. The tree put on over three feet of growth in that first season alone. Most other fruit trees would have spent that time just building roots and branches. Figs skip the wait because they fruit on new wood, meaning fresh branches that grow in spring can carry ripe fruit by late summer.
Grafted trees on dwarfing rootstock produce fruit years ahead of seed-grown trees. Research by Goldschmidt (2013) showed that grafted fruit trees reach bearing age in 2 to 3 years, while seed-grown trees take 10 to 12 years. Grafting gives the tree a mature root system from day one. All its energy goes toward making fruit instead of building roots from scratch.
You can see the difference in your own yard within one growing season. A Brown Turkey fig puts on 3 to 5 feet of new growth in year one and starts fruiting right away. A Redhaven peach grows 2 to 3 feet and sets its first crop by year two or three. Your standard apple from a garden center takes much longer to reach that same point unless you buy it on dwarf rootstock.
Among quick growing fruit trees, mulberries deserve a special mention. They shoot up 3 to 6 feet per year and bear fruit within their second or third season. The downside is they can become invasive in some regions, so check your local guidelines before planting one. Dwarf apples on M.9 rootstock grow slower but still fruit within 2 to 3 years. The dwarfing effect sends energy into fruit instead of branch growth.
You can speed up early growth for any fruit tree with three simple steps. First, plant at the correct depth with the graft union 2 inches above the soil line. Second, water once or twice a week through the entire first growing season to keep roots expanding. Third, avoid heavy pruning in year one because every leaf feeds the root system and builds the framework for future crops.
All the fastest fruit trees share a few traits. They all fruit on young wood, grow well in a range of soils, and respond fast to good watering. If you want quick results, look for these traits when you browse your local nursery's selection this spring.
When I first started growing fruit, I wasted three years waiting for a seed-grown apple tree to do anything useful. It just sat there getting taller. My neighbor's grafted peach tree was already loaded with fruit by that point. That experience taught me to always buy grafted stock if speed matters to you.
Start with a grafted fig or peach tree from a good nursery if you want fruit trees that grow fast. Give it steady water and full sun, and you'll be picking fresh fruit in two years or less. That fast payoff makes the whole experience more rewarding from the start. You won't regret choosing speed over size when your first harvest arrives ahead of schedule.
Read the full article: Best Fruit Trees for Your Garden
