Fruit Trees for Maine

These are the cold hardy fruit trees, berries and vines that grow in Maine, picked against real winter lows, not an average. Across the 7 areas we've mapped in Maine, the cold to plan for runs from −16°F on the warmest ground around Camden, Rockland and Belfast to −40°F in the cold pockets around Presque Isle, Caribou and Houlton. Pick your area below and the list trims itself to what has come through that cold. Everything here ships bare root in spring 2027.

What fruit trees grow in Maine?

The best fruit trees for Maine are the ones that have already lived through the cold your spot gets. On typical Maine ground (−27°F, the middle of our mapped areas), 239 of the plants we're selling for spring 2027 have come through that cold: apples like Honeycrisp, Prairie Sensation, Frostbite and Haralson; pears like Larinskaya, Krazulya and Bartlett; plums like Italian, Tipson and Native American plum; tart and bush cherries like Montmorency, Romeo and Juliet; apricots like Westcot and Manchurian. Berry bushes are the safest bet anywhere in the state.

Peaches are a stretch on most of the ground we've mapped in Maine. Siberian C peach has come through −35°F, so it's worth a try on the warmest ground in Camden, Rockland and Belfast; Portland, Lewiston and the Maine foothills; and Augusta, Waterville and the Kennebec. It ripens late, so give it your sunniest spot. Plant them up on a bench or slope, never the low spot.

For your exact address, the cold hardiness calculator gives you the number to plan for and every plant we grow that has survived it.

Maine growing zones for fruit trees

Most of the ground we've mapped in Maine falls in MFTC zones 3 and 4, with the warmest spots in zone 5a (−16°F) and the coldest bottoms down in zone 3a (−40°F). That's colder than USDA's map, and it's on purpose: USDA's zone comes from an average winter's coldest night, ours from the bad winter a tree has to live through. Every plant we sell is zoned to the coldest temperature it has actually survived. Here's each area we've mapped, with the planning low for most of its ground and the range from its warmest benches to its coldest bottoms.

Shopping by zone instead? Start with our zone 3 fruit trees, zone 4 fruit trees and zone 5 fruit trees. A few spots on each map run a zone colder than the town next door, and that's what the maps are for.

Presque Isle, Caribou and Houlton. In the January 20, 1994 cold snap, Bridgewater read −43°F while the Caribou weather office, up on high ground, bottomed out at −28°F. Presque Isle plans for −39°F, Houlton −34°F and the hills around New Sweden −33°F.

Camden, Rockland and Belfast. In the January 2009 cold snap, Tenants Harbor bottomed out at −3°F while Belfast, Maine read −23°F. On the map Rockland plans for −19°F, Camden −21°F, Belfast −24°F and the Waldo County hollows −28°F to −31°F.

See every Maine map on our Maine microclimate maps page.

Native fruit we grow

If you're after native fruit, huckleberry, Native American plum, American elderberry, Montana black currant and serviceberry are the ones we grow. They feed birds and wildlife and shrug off cold that would kill a lot of grafted trees.

Getting fruit trees to make it in Maine

Cold is only part of it. Plant on a slope or bench, not the bottom of a draw, since cold air drains downhill and pools in the low spots on a still night, and that's where blossoms get frosted. Give trees shelter from the wind, put them on drip so the soil never dries out through the summer, then taper it off from mid August so they harden off before the first hard freeze. Paint the trunks white against sunscald (how we do it) and put a quarter inch hardware cloth guard, at least two feet tall, around each trunk for voles and ground squirrels.

Rootstock matters as much as the variety. In the coldest ground we graft onto hardy standard rootstocks, and our rootstock guide explains the tradeoffs. Most apples, pears, plums and sweet cherries need a second variety blooming at the same time to pollenize them; our pollination maps show which ones pair up. Short on room for two? Lapins sweet cherry, Contender peach and Westcot apricot are self fertile, and so is everything in our self fertile fruit trees collection.

Ordering bare root trees for Maine

Everything on this page ships bare root in spring 2027, dormant, with the roots wrapped in moist sawdust and a vapor barrier, so you can plant as soon as your ground can be worked. Put your order in over the winter, since the best sellers run out. Not sure what to pick? Fill out our We Pick Your Trees form and we'll put a list together for your spot, or email us through the contact page with where you are and what you want to grow. Every plant is guaranteed to bud out (details in our FAQ).

Questions people ask about fruit trees in Maine

Can you grow fruit trees in Maine?

Yes. The trick is picking varieties zoned to the cold your spot actually gets. Our maps put most of the Maine ground we've mapped at −27°F for planning, and 239 of the plants we're selling for spring 2027 have come through that, from hardy apples and pears to plums, tart cherries and berries.

What are the best apple trees for Maine?

For most of the Maine ground we've mapped we'd start with Honeycrisp, Prairie Sensation, Frostbite, Haralson and Zestar!®. Each has come through −27°F or colder. All of them clear even the coldest pockets we've mapped in Maine (−40°F).

What growing zone is Maine for fruit trees?

Most of the ground we've mapped in Maine is MFTC zones 3 to 4, running from −16°F on the warmest ground around Camden, Rockland and Belfast down to −40°F around Presque Isle, Caribou and Houlton. USDA's map reads warmer because it's built on an average winter, not the bad one.

Can cherry trees grow in Maine?

Tart and bush cherries, yes: Montmorency tart cherry, Romeo dwarf cherry and Juliet dwarf cherry all fit most of the Maine ground we've mapped. Sweet cherries can too. Lapins sweet cherry, one of the hardiest we sell, has come through −35°F, colder than most ground here plans for. Plant it up on a slope, since bloom frost is the bigger risk.

Can you grow peaches in Maine?

On the warmest ground, yes. Siberian C peach has come through −35°F, so it's worth a try on the warmest ground in Camden, Rockland and Belfast; Portland, Lewiston and the Maine foothills; and Augusta, Waterville and the Kennebec. It ripens late, so give it your sunniest spot.

Where is the warmest ground for fruit trees in Maine?

On our maps the warmest growing ground is Owls Head in Camden, Rockland and Belfast (−16°F), then West End, Portland in Portland, Lewiston and the Maine foothills (−16°F) and Granite Hill in Augusta, Waterville and the Kennebec (−19°F). Those numbers are the planning lows, the cold a tree there has to live through in a bad winter.

Where are the coldest frost pockets in Maine?

The coldest spots on our Maine maps are Fort Fairfield in Presque Isle, Caribou and Houlton (−40°F), Pleasant Island in Farmington, Rangeley and the western Maine mountains (−38°F), and McGregor Mill in Bangor and the Penobscot (−33°F). Low ground like that is where cold air pools on a still night, so it runs colder than the town nearby.

What's the coldest temperature on Maine's microclimate maps?

The coldest reading on our Maine maps is −45°F at Rangeley on January 20, 1994, on the Farmington, Rangeley and the western Maine mountains map.

When is the last frost in Maine?

It depends a lot on where you are. On the maps that give a typical last 32°F spring frost, it runs from April 22 at Tenants Harbor (Camden, Rockland and Belfast) to May 20 at Farmington (Farmington, Rangeley and the western Maine mountains). Open the map for your area to see the station closest to you.

How long is the growing season in Maine?

Our maps put the frost free season anywhere from about 124 days at Farmington (Farmington, Rangeley and the western Maine mountains) to about 188 days at Tenants Harbor (Camden, Rockland and Belfast). That's why the area you're in matters as much as the state.

When should I plant fruit trees in Maine?

In spring, as soon as the ground thaws and can be worked, while the trees are still dormant. We ship bare root in spring 2027 so the trees arrive dormant and ready to go in the ground.

Do you ship bare root fruit trees to Maine?

Yes. We ship bare root trees, berries and vines to Maine every spring, and you can also pick up in Missoula, Montana, if you choose that at checkout.

Fruit trees for other states

Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming. Or start from the fruit trees by state page.