6 Fast-Growing Fruit Trees You Can Easily Grow in Your Own Backyard

Citrus Trees

If you live in a warm growing region in the southern U.S., citrus trees are an excellent option for delicious fruit you can enjoy relatively quickly. For the fastest growth time, choose dwarf varieties.

“Citrus trees and shrubs produce bountiful fruits and can often be purchased while they are producing fruit,” says Ward Dilmore, founder and head landscape designer at Petrus Luxury Estate Landscaping Company. “Meyer lemons especially are very easy to grow and can produce lemons year-round.”

Dilmore notes that nurseries often sell them when they are flowering and fruiting, so that they can be harvested the same year that they are planted. “Every flower on a citrus tree will typically become a fruit!” he adds.

• Hardiness Zone: USDA Zones 8 to 11
• Light: Full sun
• Soil: Well-draining, loamy soil
• Fruit-Bearing Time: 3 to 6 years for ground-planted citrus trees, 2 to 3 years for dwarf varieties in pots, and 1 year for nursery trees
• Maturation Size: 20 feet tall for regular varieties and 10 feet tall for dwarf trees

Loquat Trees

Loquats are stone fruit trees that thrive in warm and temperate climates. These ornamental evergreen trees provide a harvest of golden fruits similar to plums in regions where the winter temperatures don’t get too low (below around 28°F).

“Loquat trees can start bearing fruit in as little as 1 to 2 years,” explains Dilmore. “Late winter to early spring is when you will find loquats bearing fruit, though be vigilant for squirrels as this is a favorite among wildlife!”

• Hardiness Zone: USDA Zones 8 to 11
• Light: Full or partial sun
• Soil: Well-draining, loamy soil
• Fruit-Bearing Time: 1 to 2 years
• Maturation Size: 8 to 25 feet tall and wide

Fig Trees

Fig trees grow quickly and easily in warm regions and produce distinct, sweet edible fruits that can be eaten as is, dried, or cooked into desserts. If you live in a colder climate, you can plant fig trees in containers and bring them indoors during winter.

“Fig trees stand out as rapid growers since they typically start producing fruit within 1 to 2 years,” says Tammy Sons, founder and CEO of TN Nursery. “Total sun and well-draining ground are perfect growing conditions for these plants.”

• Hardiness Zone: USDA Zones 7 to 11
• Light: Full sun
• Soil: Loamy, well-drained soil
• Fruit-Bearing Time: 1 year
• Maturation Size: 10 to 30 feet tall, 20-foot spread, dwarf varieties grow 4 to 10 feet tall 

Dwarf Peach Trees

Dwarf peach trees will give you sweet, succulent peaches quickly. They thrive in full sunshine with mild climates but can also be grown in containers and brought inside in areas with cold winters.

“Another popular choice is dwarf peach trees, which begin fruiting in only 1 to 2 years through proper pruning and grow to heights of 6 to 8 feet,” Sons says. Dwarf peach trees grow best in sunny locations with soil that drains well. 

• Hardiness Zone: USDA Zones 5 to 9
• Light: Full sun
• Soil: Well-drained, sandy soil
• Fruit-Bearing Time: 1 to 2 years
• Maturation Size: 6 to 8 feet tall

Mulberry Trees

Mulberry trees are low-maintenance perennials that grow quickly and produce small, edible berries in June and July. They produce fruit during their second year while reaching heights between 10 and 15 feet.

“Mulberries display rapid growth rates, especially when cultivated as dwarf plants,” explains Sons. “Consistent watering paired with early shaping has proven to be the key to success.”

• Hardiness Zone: USDA Zones 4 to 8
• Light: Full or partial sun
• Soil: Well-draining, rich, moist soil
• Fruit-Bearing Time: 1 to 2 years for dwarf varieties, 5 to 10 years for regular varieties
• Maturation Size: 30 to 60 feet tall and 20 to 40 feet wide for regular varieties, 5 to 6 feet for dwarf varieties

Columnar Apple Trees

If you love apples but don’t want to wait long for a bountiful harvest, columnar apple trees grow quickly and can give you fruit within a year’s time. These compact apple trees grow upwards with fruit along the main stem.

Columnar trees thrive with at least 6 to 8 hours of sun per day and well-drained soil. They can even grow in containers provided they are protected from temperature extremes and have enough room for root growth. 

• Hardiness Zone: USDA Zones 4 to 9
• Light: Full sun
• Soil: Well-draining, loamy soil
• Fruit-Bearing Time: 1 year
• Maturation Size: 8 to 12 feet