When deciding on which fruit trees to grow either in your backyard, greenhouse, or even a farm, there are certainly a lot of factors to consider.
While ultimately the best fruit trees or shrubs that will turn a profit can change drastically depending on your climate, time frame, and space available for planting, there are a few options that are quite obviously the most profitable fruit trees to grow.
The most profitable fruit trees in order of least to highest possible financial gain are:
- Apples.
- Peaches.
- Strawberries.
- Blueberries.
Each of these fruit trees is worth a varying amount per pound, and has different space and grow time requirements. So although the list is technically in order in regards to price, you still have to understand all the variables of each species to find out which are the most profitable fruit trees to grow for you.
Luckily, we have done the research to find out which fruit tree will truly produce the highest fruit and financial yield within your specific situation.
So keep reading if you want to find out how to enjoy fresh fruit at home, and have enough excess to turn selling your fruit into a successful side business or even a career.
We’re going to break the list down by each type of fruit tree and give you all the information you need!
Table of Contents
Apple Trees: Why You Need Space ; Time For Profitability
Most Americans love apples, especially when the fall months arrive and families go apple picking and then head home to make delicious pies, crumbles, and even preserves.
Although there are quite a lot of apple trees throughout the country, they are still fairly profitable as demand remains high.
Planting an apple tree in the hopes of selling its fruits is a test of patience as a tree typically takes about 8 years to fully mature and produce significant amounts of fruit.
However, once it reaches the right age, one apple tree can produce as much as 500 pounds of apples!
In addition to patience, you will also need a bit of space to grow an apple tree to full maturity, in fact, one apple tree requires about 30-35 feet of space around it.
Just like any fresh produce, the price you can receive for a pound of apples varies greatly depending on who or where you are selling it to.
Wholesale centers like grocery stores typically purchase a pound of apples from farmers for anywhere from $0.28 to $0.75. But if you decide to take your fresh apples to a local farmers market, you could possibly make between $3 and $5.
Overall, apple trees are easy to grow and profit from, however, you will need to ensure you have ample space and time to dedicate to the project.
The next four fruit trees are a little faster, and therefore, are even more profitable.
Peaches: A Little Love Leads To Big Profits
These wonderful fruits are certainly a favorite across the country and they can be fairly profitable if grown with a little extra attention and care.
Peach trees will produce a slightly higher financial yield than apple trees as they need less space and will grow to maturity and produce fruit in a much shorter period of time.
However, it’s important to note that peach trees produce significantly less fruit per tree so it takes more trees or more time to make the same amount of fruit.
Let’s look at the specs!
Peach trees only require about 15-20 feet of space around each tree, and they yield fruit in only 2-3 years! But they also only produce 120-150 pounds of fruit per tree.
You can easily sell peaches for anywhere between $2-$6 per pound depending on where you sell them. Of course, small markets will always offer the highest price points.
The important thing to know about peach trees is that they require a little extra love than apple trees. They hate soggy soil and will definitely need good drainage to thrive.
They can’t handle the cold as apple trees can, so if you live in a chillier climate, they may be more difficult to maintain.
Strawberries: The Heart of The Fruit Family
Who doesn’t love fresh strawberries in the heat of the summer? These delicious fruits have become synonymous with the 4th of July and a staple in everyone’s picnic baskets.
So how profitable are they?
Because strawberry plants are much smaller than their peach and apple counterparts, they need far less space to grow!
In fact, within the 15 feet necessary for one peach tree, you can grow 10 strawberry bushes as they only need to be 18 inches apart.
Also, a strawberry plant will only require one year of growth before it can produce fruit! The only disadvantage to your possible strawberry profits is that each plant will only produce about 1.5-3 pounds each year, far less than our other options.
If you think about it, in the eight years it takes to produce 500 pounds of apples on one tree, in the same amount of space, you will have produced and sold 240 pounds of strawberries and had a steady income every year.
Once again, financially you may make anywhere between $2-$6 on a pound of strawberries. The high price point is reserved for the end of the season or at small local markets.
Just remember, if you break down the time, space, and care that needs to go into growing fruit trees, strawberries are some of the easiest and quickest available!
Blueberries: Why Are They The Most Profitable Fruit Tree?
As you now know, when analyzing which fruit trees are going to yield the highest profit, you really need to consider how many of the trees you can fit in your space, how long they will take to produce fruit, as well as how much each pound will sell for.
Blueberries pretty much hit the jackpot when it comes to each category to allow for the most probable profit.
Blueberries will produce some fruit after the first three years, but the real yield will come after five. Once they reach this stage, they can produce between 5-20 pounds per plant.
Luckily, the plants only need to be placed about two feet away from each other, so you can realistically get up to 100 pounds of blueberries in a 10-foot space!
Once you’ve harvested your blueberry bounty, you can sell them for anywhere between $3-$5 per pound.
Dormant blueberry shrubs are also extremely resilient to the winter months, so no need to worry if the frost comes biting!
Final Thoughts
This list is, of course, a general summary of which fruit trees are the most profitable.
It truly depends on the climate of your location, how much space you have to grow, what the crop looks like each year, and even the supply and demand of each individual fruit species in your area.
If you want to turn your backyard, greenhouse, or even a small farm into a profitable space, fruit trees are a great way to go! Apple, peach, strawberries, and blueberries are all fairly easy to grow and can certainly make you a little, if not a lot, of extra cash during each harvest season.
