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Nottingham medlar

Nottingham medlar is a fruit tree noted for old European fruit and beautiful spring flowers. It grows in USDA zones 5a-8b, prefers full sun, part sun and loam and clay soils, and harvest timing is fruit bletts after frost in fall.

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old European fruitbeautiful spring flowers

Fit and caveats

Nottingham medlar is a specialty edible plant, so site fit and realistic expectations matter more than novelty. Confirm hardiness, pollination, soil needs, and local pest pressure before giving it prime garden space.

Best fit

  • Zones 5a through 8b where the plant's sun and drainage needs can be met.
  • Experiment-oriented gardeners with room for a less common crop.
  • Sites where the plant can be observed and adjusted during establishment.

Use caution

  • Specialty crops often have thinner regional trial data than apples, blueberries, or figs.
  • Pollination and harvest timing may not be obvious from a nursery listing.
  • Cold snaps, heat, and soil pH can be limiting even inside the listed zone range.

Regional notes

  • Use local extension and land-grant information where available before scaling up.
  • Start with one or two plants until performance is proven in your ZIP.
  • Keep records on bloom, fruit set, disease, and winter injury.

Comparison note: Compared with mainstream fruit crops, Nottingham medlar is more experimental. It belongs where the gardener values learning and has a backup plan if production is inconsistent.

Photos
Medlar tree showing leafy branches and russet fruit.
Plant photo Medlar tree showing leafy branches and russet fruit.

Photos show a representative plant in the garden. Fruit color, size, and growth habit can vary by cultivar, season, nursery stock, and site.

Photo sources: Rosser1954 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Harvest and uses
Harvest window
fruit bletts after frost in fall
Yield return
15-50 lb/plant/year
First harvest
3-6 yrs
Best for
Fruit, Curb appeal & color
Notable traits
old European fruit, beautiful spring flowers
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Spacing, yield, and timing

How far apart should you plant Nottingham medlar?

Plant Nottingham medlar at 10-20 ft in-row x 12-25 ft rows. Adjust this starting point for trellises, hedges, rootstock, containers, pruning style, or local extension guidance.

How much does Nottingham medlar produce?

Nottingham medlar yield is modeled as 15-50 lb/plant/year. Treat that as a planning range, because weather, soil, watering, pruning, pests, and local pressure can change the real result.

How long does Nottingham medlar take to produce?

Nottingham medlar usually reaches first useful harvest or display in 3-6 yrs under suitable conditions.

How do you grow Nottingham medlar?

Grow Nottingham medlar in USDA zones 5a-8b with full, partial light, loam, clay soil, and medium water. Use 10-20 ft in-row x 12-25 ft rows for layout planning. Match the plant to drainage, heat, chill, and pest pressure before scaling up.

Can Nottingham medlar grow in a container?

Nottingham medlar can start with a container of about 25+ gal (limited). Larger containers usually buffer heat and moisture swings better than the minimum.

10-year return
75.9-252.9 lb/10 yrs
Full output
5-9 yrs
Planting depth
Keep the root flare at soil level; graft unions stay above grade.
Productive life
15-30 yrs
Difficulty
3/5
Reliability
3/5
Data quality
Low profile, Low yield confidence

Yield varies most with climate, soil, rootstock, pruning, pest pressure, and wildlife.

Estimated Pound Return

Low yield confidence
0 lb 12.5 lb 25 lb 37.5 lb 50 lb Source range Expected midpoint Y1 establishment Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4 Y5 Y6 Y7 Y8 Y9 Y10
Year 1
0 lb
Establishment year: focus on roots before harvest.
Year 5
6.4-21.4 lb
Year 10
15-50 lb
10-year total
75.9-252.9 lb/10 yrs

Shaded band shows the sourced low-to-high pound-yield range. The line tracks the midpoint for quick comparison.

Method: direct pound yield from crop metric source. Annual crops assume one comparable planting per year; perennial crops ramp from first bearing to full production.

Planting, care, and risk checks

Checklist

8 items

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  • Tree trunk guard

    Protection / After planting

    Protect young trunks from mower damage, sunscald, rabbits, and rubbing injury.

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  • Fruit tree and berry fertilizer

    Nutrition / After establishment

    Support fruiting wood, bloom, and recovery after establishment once soil needs are known.

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  • Soil test kit or lab mailer

    Site prep / Before planting

    Check pH and baseline nutrients before adding amendments, especially for fruiting crops, native beds, and acid-loving plants.

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  • Digging spade or shovel

    Tools / Planting day

    Open planting holes, loosen compacted soil, and shape beds for larger transplants.

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  • Plant labels

    Planning / Planting day

    Track cultivar, planting date, and variety when comparing harvests or pollination partners.

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  • Tree stake kit

    Support / Planting day

    Stabilize newly planted trees only where wind, slope, or root-ball movement makes support necessary.

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  • Organic mulch

    Soil / After planting

    Hold soil moisture, suppress weeds, moderate soil temperature, and protect shallow roots.

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  • Bird netting

    Protection / Before ripening

    Protect ripening berries, grapes, cherries, figs, and other bird-attractive fruit.

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Planting strategy

  • Planting depth: Keep the root flare at soil level; graft unions stay above grade.
  • Container minimum: 25+ gal (limited). Use dwarf/root-pruned culture for long-term containers; in-ground usually performs better.
  • Start with one plant when testing fit in a new bed or container.
  • Plant more than one when harvest volume or pollination is the main goal.

Risk factors

  • Deer pressure: Not rated. No deer-resistance category is assigned yet; treat browsing risk as local and variable.
  • Black walnut: Mixed or uncertain. Use as a black walnut / juglone planning cue; tolerance varies by cultivar, soil, and distance from the tree.
  • Match the site first: full, partial light, loam, clay soil, and medium water.
  • Use 10-20 ft in-row x 12-25 ft rows as the first spacing model; adjust for hedges, trellises, containers, or local guidance.
  • Plan around mature size: 8-20 ft H x 8-18 ft W.
  • For harvest planning, treat "fruit bletts after frost in fall" and 15-50 lb/plant/year as planning ranges, not guarantees.
  • Quantitative data quality is low for this record; verify before buying or planting at scale.
Planting calendar Use ZIP-based hardiness and frost context to plan seed-starting, direct-sow, transplanting, and nursery planting windows. Fruit trees Compare fruit trees and tree-like edible plants by hardiness range, water needs, spacing, first output, and sourced yield data. Full sun clay soil plants Browse plants marked for both full sun and clay soil, including vegetables, perennials, shrubs, and practical landscape plants. Shade plants Browse plants that tolerate shade or part sun, including edible, native, ornamental, and ground-layer options for lower-light gardens.

Comparable plants
Plant Zones First output Yield (lbs) Difficulty Why it is a peer
Gold Nugget loquat 8b-10b 3-5 yrs 20-75 lb/plant/year 3/5 Higher sourced pound-return range with similar planning context. Shenandoah pawpaw 5a-9a 4-7 yrs 15-40 lb/plant/year 3/5 Same form with 2 overlapping goals. Sunflower pawpaw 5a-9a 4-7 yrs 15-40 lb/plant/year 3/5 Same form with 2 overlapping goals. 20th Century Asian pear 5a-9a 4-5 yrs 80-120 lb/plant/year 3/5 Higher sourced pound-return range with similar planning context.

Sources and methodology

This guide combines hardiness range, light, soil, water, harvest timing, traits, supplier links, plant relationships, and quantitative planning metrics. Pairings are screened for practical garden fit.

Quantitative values use extension and botanical-reference ranges where available. For less-studied cultivars, similar crops fill gaps conservatively. Ranges are intentionally broad so the profile stays useful without pretending to be exact.

Planning sources: NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxMissouri Botanical Garden Plant FinderUniversity of Maryland Extension - Planting a Tree or ShrubUniversity of Maryland Extension - Starting a Home Fruit GardenUniversity of Maryland Extension - Types of Containers for Growing Vegetables

Editorial sources: NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxMississippi State Extension: Fruit and Nut Recommendations for MississippiUF/IFAS Extension: Tropical and Subtropical Fruit Crops for the Home Landscape

Supplier search: Raintree Nursery. Search links are not paid placements unless explicitly marked; affiliate listings may earn a commission. Last reviewed: 2026-05-31.