Which Fruit Trees for Zone 4? Choosing Trees for Your Zone 4 Orchard

Learn what cold hardy fruit trees to grow in a zone 4 orchard on your homestead.

planning a zone 4 orchard with cold hardy apples

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My grandparents’ farm is an amazing time capsule of history. Nestled in rural Wisconsin and beginning with a small log cabin, this homestead was started over 100 years ago by young German immigrants looking to start a new life. My family has lived and homesteaded this land generation after generation, and still today, “The Orchard” remains.

It is obvious that when my grandparents first moved to the farm, they recognized the importance of planting fruit trees early. Covering the entire yard, in the place that my grandpa calls “The Orchard” are multiple varieties of apple trees, grape vines, black walnut trees, and previously, cherry trees. But, one thing I’ve always wondered is how did my grandparents know which trees would grow here in a zone 4 orchard? How did they know which trees were cold-hardy enough to grow and survive through the harsh winter climate and where did they find them? Though I’ll never be able to ask them those questions, I have done some research to find out just exactly which cold hardy trees can be grown in a zone 4 orchard today.

Cold Hardy Apple Trees

Apple trees are one of the best cold hardy fruit trees to plant in a zone 4 orchard on the homestead. Their cold hardiness comes from the make-up of their rootstock, which is a well-developed root system with an above ground stem that can be grafted onto the bud from another plant. In cold-hardy apple trees, the rootstocks are able to hold up to the frigid temperatures, allowing the tree to survive the early fall and harsh winter climates. Apple trees are a wonderful addition to a zone 4 orchard and can provide for a homestead for 50-80 years.

Why You Should Plant Apple Trees on the Homestead

You should plant apple trees for many reasons, but one of the most popular reasons for planting them is because they are able to produce at an early age. If you choose a dwarf apple variety, you may start to see apples within 2 to 3 years of planting. A dwarf apple tree is a smaller tree, usually around 8-10 feet tall, that produces a standard, normal size apple. Standard sized apple trees, which can grow up to 20-30 feet tall, will take longer to produce fruit. On average, these taller, larger trees generally take up to 8 years to begin to bear apples (source).

Let’s dig into which cold hardy apple tree will be the best fit for your homestead and zone 4 orchard.

1. Frostbite

Frostbite is a late-season, very sweet apple variety that is extremely cold hardy. The tree produces small, firm yet juicy, and extremely sweet fruit about 2 1/2 inches in diameter each year. The taste has often been described in as a “complex unique” flavor, with some describing it as almost tasting like molasses or wine. It has been said that you will either love the variety or hate it.

Apples will be ready to harvest in late September to mid October. It should be noted that they get sweeter with time, so do not pick them too early. You can expect to be able to store Frostbite apples for 3-4 months in the refrigerator, meaning that they will not last the entire winter in storage. These apples are best used for cider, fresh eating, dried chips, applesauce, and desserts. The Frostbite apple variety does require a pollinator, such as Honeycrisp or Zestar.

You can buy Frostbite Trees here.

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2. Honeycrisp

Honeycrisp apples are a well known variety as they are often sold in stores. The apples have a sweet, tart flavor with a crisp bite and a light, soft flesh. Bearing fruit within 2-8 years, this tree will have apples ready to pick by September. These apples are great for fresh eating, baking, applesauce, and cider.

Honeycrisp apples can store seven months or more in a refrigerator, which makes them ideal for homesteaders seeking self-sufficiency through winters in cold climates like zone 4. These trees will require a pollinator. If you’re looking for a crabapple variety to help pollinate your Honeycrisp tree, the Snowdrift, is a great option because of its abundant pollen and longer bloom time. Zestar is also a good pollinator for Honeycrisp.

Purchase a Honeycrisp tree here.

3. Prairie Magic

The Prairie Magic apple variety is another extremely cold hard apple tree. It is a standard size apple tree that produces large, round, crisp, sweet apples in late summer and early fall. They are great for fresh eating, cooking, baking, and applesauce.

Prairie Magic trees produce great apples for storage, making them a great choice for a homesteader looking to start a zone 4 orchard. Like the trees previously mentioned, Prairie Magic does require a pollinator.

4. Haralred

The Haralred apple tree produces a beautiful medium-sized dark red apple that is tart and firm. It, like the other trees mentioned, is very cold hardy, which makes it a good choice for a zone 4 orchard.

The Haralred tree’s apples are best enjoyed fresh or baked as pies. It is not recommended that this variety be used for making applesauce. Apples should reach maturity around October for this variety. Haralred apple trees do also require cross pollination with another apple tree, and it should be noted that this apple tree cannot be cross pollinated with Haralson Apple trees (source). These apples do store fairly well, usually for about 3-5 months.

You can buy your own Haralred tree here.

5. Zestar

The Zestar apple is another well known variety. This apple tree produces large crunchy apples with an intense juicy, sweet, and zesty flavor. Zestar apples are wonderful apples for applesauce, baking, cooking, canning, and fresh eating.

Zestar apples don’t store as long as some apple varieties, only lasting for about 6-8 weeks in storage. It is, however, an early season apple that generally can be picked in late August and early September, so storage life might not be quite as important. This tree does require a pollinator, and Honeycrisp is a great pairing.

Purchase a Zestar Apple Tree

6. Chestnut Apple

This variety is actually a crab apple variety, making it a smaller apple. It is an excellent choice for making cider as the apple itself has a unique, pear-like, nutty, sweet flavor. It can also be used for apple sauce, jelly, brandy, and baking.

Serving as a great pollinator to other trees and as a wildlife attractor, this tree might be a good option for your zone 4 orchard and/or homestead. The apples ripen in early September and store between 1-3 months (source).

Purchase a Chestnut Crabapple Tree

Cold Hardy Cherry Trees

Cherry trees are a wonderful addition to a zone 4 orchard. They have a relatively short life for trees, usually only living between 30 to 40 years. Nevertheless, the beautiful blossoms and delicious fruit are some of the main reasons people love to plant cherry trees in their small homestead orchards. These cherry tree varieties below are cold hardy and great trees to add to your zone 4 orchard.

1. Evans Bali Cherry

The Evans Bali Cherry tree is a beautiful display to see in the spring with its fragrant white blossoms, and puts on another display of beauty once again in the fall with its bright orange leaves. It is a self-pollinating and compact tree which can make it ideal for those with limited space (source).

Mid-summer you’ll be able to start picking the sour red round cherries to make into jellies, baking, or eating fresh, if you enjoy sour cherries.

2. Nanking

The Nanking Cherry Trees are a small, cold hardy variety. The trees produce cherries that are small; most cherries are only as large as a large blueberry. The cherries grow on a small shrub rather than a large tree. They are best eaten as a fresh snack, but they can also be preserved into jellies or syrups as well. As with all cherries, they will need to be pitted before they can be used or eaten.

Nanking cherries are not a long-storing fruit, so they will need to be used fresh or preserved in order to last.

Buy your Nanking Cherry Tree here

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3. Juliet

The Juliet Cherry Trees are known for producing very tart yet sweet, delicious cherries and for being extremely cold hardy fruit trees. These cherries can be eaten fresh, preserved in jellies or jams, baked into pies, or frozen.

This is a small sized tree, which is great for a small homestead or for those looking to add a cherry tree without taking up a lot of space.

You can buy your Juliet Cherry Tree here.

Cold Hardy Plum Trees

If you’re lucky, you might find a wild plum tree growing along the ditches on a country road somewhere in your zone 4 neighborhood. Wild plums are wonderful, but there are parts to them, specifically the sour and bitter skin, that might make you consider taking your plum growing efforts to domestic tree species. If you’d like to add plum trees to your zone 4 orchard, there are a couple cold-hardy options to consider.

A note on pollination for hybrid plum trees

Both of these trees are considered hybrid trees, which makes their pollination a bit unique. To pollinate these trees, you will need to plant near a wild plum tree (source). This means if you’re hoping to plant domestic plum tree species, you’ll have to also plant a wild plum variety (like the American Plum- Pranus Americana or Patterson Pride Plum) or plant near a wild plum tree that already exists.

1. Compass Cherry Plum

The Compass Cherry Plum is a hybrid tree produces small, sweet yet tart, cherries that are dark purple in color. They are a shorter tree, growing only to about 5-8 feet in height, making them ideal for a small homestead. There are even people who have used these as ornamental trees and have grown them in containers. Many people prefer to use these plums for jellies and jams, jellies, and syrups or sauces.

Because they are a later blooming tree, there isn’t a risk of frost killing off blooms, which makes them cold hardy. There are mixed reviews about pollination with this tree, with some nurseries saying that they are self-pollinating, while others suggest a pollinator. You can expect fruit from a Compass Cherry Plum Tree in August.

Another factor to consider is that they are a favorite of Japanese beetles, and for this reason, can be killed off quickly due to damage from them.

Buy a Compass Cherry Plum Tree

2. Pembina Plum

The Pembina Plum tree produces mid-size juicy sweet plums that are great for fresh eating, desserts, cooking, canning, jellies, jams, and sauces. This is an extremely cold hardy variety, even hardy enough to be able to grow in zone 2.

It’s important to note that these trees require cross pollination with a wild plum tree (see note above).

Cold Hardy Pear Trees

Growing pears in colder climates like Zone 4 has not always been easy! Luckily there are some determined farmers who have developed different species of trees that help small northern climate homesteaders achieve their pear hopes and dreams!

1. Pattern Pear

Pattern Pears is a cold hardy tree that produces large, excellent tasting fresh eating fruits, which is why they are a wonderful addition to your zone 4 orchard. The Patten Pear Tree will require a pollinator, and can be pollinated with the Summercrisp Pear Tree (mentioned below).

Pears will begin to be harvested in late September and offer a firm, crunchy, and sweet texture. They can keep well for storage, and are best enjoyed fresh or in baking, as they don’t often hold up well to the canning process.

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2. Summercrisp Pear

The Summercrisp Pear will provide you with medium-sized mild fruit for your zone 4 orchard. It is cold-hardy early season pear tree that can grow up to 25 feet tall at maturity with a spread of 20 feet (source). It is a longer living tree, with a life expectancy of around 70 years.

Cross-pollination is required for this pear tree, and the Patten Pear (noted above) can be a companion. This beautiful tree will start providing fruit abundantly late summer. Eating the fruit right before maturity is the best time, as this offers a firm and crisp texture to the pear. These pears are best enjoyed fresh. For more information check out this resource .

You can buy a Summercrisp Pear Tree here.

Looking for more on Zone 4 gardening?

Check out this post on Zone 4 seed starting and a printable planting guide!

Choosing Cold Hardy Trees for Your Small Homestead Zone 4 Orchard

Table of Contents

Cold Hardy Apple Trees