How to Grow Medlar
Medlar At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Tree Fruit
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -29°C
Plant Family
Rosaceae
Growing Season
Cool Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Buy a young grafted medlar and plant it in early spring while it is still bare and leafless, about 4 weeks before your last frost. Soak bare roots for a few hours, plant so the graft bump sits above the soil, and stake it for the first couple of years. Give it about 4 m of space, or grow it in a large pot, since it stays a small tree.
Medlar is an old, hardy fruit tree with big white flowers in spring and small brown fruit in fall. A single tree fruits on its own and pests rarely bother it. The fruit is rock hard when picked and is only eaten after it softens and browns in storage, which is called bletting.
When To Start
Medlar likes cool weather. Sow it in early spring, as soon as the ground can be worked.
We do not have exact sowing dates for this one yet.
When should you plant Medlar?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Medlar Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Medlar Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Plant your medlar tree while it is still leafless
30 days before your last frost
Pick medlars hard after frost, then let them soften
1 week after your first frost· every year
Water your new medlar plants well while they settle in. Deep and slow is best.
About 1 days after you plant it
How is your medlar tree settling in? Water it deeply once a week while the roots get going.
About 30 days after you plant it
Your medlar has had time to settle. Keep weeds and grass away from the base so it does not have to compete.
About 90 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Medlar's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
400 cm
Plant Spacing
500 cm
Row Spacing
Vertical Growing
No.
Succession Planting
No.
Good Companions
Bad Companions
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Growing Tips
- 1Plant medlar in full sun or light shade, in any decent soil that drains well.
- 2Mix compost into the planting hole and keep a layer of mulch over the roots.
- 3Water deeply once a week for the first 2 years, then only in long dry spells.
- 4Spread a layer of compost around the tree each spring as its food.
- 5Prune only in late winter, and only to remove dead, damaged or crossing branches, since it grows into a nice shape on its own.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
400 cm
Mature Height
400 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
21 days
When to Pick
Pick hard after the first frosts, then BLET (store until soft and brown) before eating
How to Harvest
- 1Leave the fruit on the tree until late fall, after the first frost or two.
- 2Pick the fruit while it is still hard, twisting it gently off the branch.
- 3Lay the fruit out in a single layer, not touching, on a tray in a cool spot.
- 4After 2 to 3 weeks the flesh turns soft and brown like a ripe date, which means it is ready (this is bletting).
- 5Scoop out the sweet, spicy pulp with a spoon, or cook it into jelly.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
Seed Production
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