How to grow medlar
Family Rosaceae. Hardy to USDA hardiness zone 5a+ (U.S. Department of Agriculture). Full sun. Ready in 3-5 years to bearing (perennial tree).
Sun
Full sun
Spacing
12-15 ft
Days to harvest
3-5 years to bearing (perennial tree)
Hardiness
Zone 5a+
What growers actually recorded
Loading zone 7b results…
When to plant medlar
- Transplant out: ~2 weeks after last frost.
Companion plants for medlar
Plant with: Comfrey, Chives.
Common pests & problems
Very few; occasional fire blight.
Feeding & fertilizer
N-P-K ratio: Balanced 5-5-5, avoid fresh manure
Organic options: Compost mulch every spring · Blood meal + bone meal before flowering · Kelp meal after harvest
When to feed: Base feeding on a soil test and on how much new growth the plant made last year.
Watch for: Lots of leafy growth but little fruit = too much nitrogen.
N = nitrogen (leaves), P = phosphorus (roots and flowers), K = potassium (fruit and disease resistance). How to read a fertilizer label →
Grower's tip
Fruit is inedible until it bletts. Pick after a hard frost and hold it in a cool place for two to three weeks until the flesh turns soft and brown.
When to plant medlar in your zone
Free month-by-month sowing and transplanting lists, built from frost dates for your USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) hardiness zone.
Soil & water for medlar
Soil & pH
6.0-7.0 for most; confirm with a soil test
Deep, well-drained soil. Standing water around the roots causes root and crown rot.
Test soil before planting and correct pH then. Mulch with compost each spring, kept a few inches off the stem or trunk.
Watering
1-1.5 in / week; 2 in during fruit swell
Drip or soaker at the root zone. Keeping leaves and fruit dry lowers fungal disease.
Check soil 6 in down; water when it is dry there. Drought while fruit is sizing gives small fruit.
Knowing when to harvest
- Harvest after the first light frost, once fruit is still hard, brown, and tart.
- Fruit must then be bletted, stored in a cool spot for several weeks until it turns soft, dark, and wine-like.
- Unbletted medlar is inedibly astringent; do not eat it straight off the tree.
Storing & keeping
Blet at 40-50°F for 3-6 weeks, checked periodically, until the flesh is soft and brown throughout. Once bletted, eat within a few days or process into jelly.
What to expect
Per plant: 20-40 lb from a mature tree, bearing by year 4-6
Troubleshooting medlar
Fruit stays hard and sour no matter how long it's stored on the counter
Likely cause: Bletting needs cool temperatures, not warmth; room-temperature storage is too warm to soften properly
What to do: Store fruit in a cool shed, garage, or fridge crisper, not on a warm kitchen counter.
Fruit is hard and astringent even when fully colored
Likely cause: Medlar is inedible until bletted, a controlled softening after harvest
What to do: Pick after the first frost, store stem-up in a cool airy place for 2-4 weeks until the flesh turns brown and soft, then eat or cook it.
Blossoms and shoot tips brown and die back
Likely cause: Fire blight, to which medlar is susceptible as a pome fruit
What to do: Prune out affected wood well below the damage during dry dormant weather and disinfect tools between cuts.
Varieties worth the space
Not every name in a seed catalog. These are the ones growers order again, with what each one is actually good at and what it asks of you.
Nottingham
Traditional, smaller fruit, reliable bletting quality.
Royal
Larger fruit, vigorous tree.
Growing medlar in containers
Viable in a 15-20 gallon pot; a naturally small, slow-growing tree well suited to container culture.
Nutrition
Varies by crop: see the crop notes above.
Common questions
Can medlar be eaten fresh off the tree?
No. It must blet (soften via cool storage after a light frost) before it becomes palatable; unbletted fruit is hard and astringent.
Does medlar need a pollinizer?
No, it is self-fertile.
Where these numbers come from
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023 revision). Zone assignment and the 30-year normals behind every cold-hardiness figure.
- NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 Climate Normals. Frost dates, growing-season length, and the probability bands on both.
- Cornell, UMN, and UC Davis Cooperative Extension crop guides. Spacing, days to maturity, soil pH targets, and per-plant yield ranges.
- USDA FSIS / FDA Produce Safety guidance. Wash, cure, and cold-storage handling numbers.
Ranges are regional guidance, not a promise for your yard. Your own logged results always override the published range.