Wherever you garden, pears are a great addition or re-addition to your plant family. Read on for simple, straightforward specifics about growing pears.
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Family | Container Size | Good Companions | Bad Companions | Soil Conditions | Germination | Sun | Water | Temperature Range | Height | Lifespan | Reproduction | Yield Per Plant | Ingestibility | Further Reading
What Family Do Pears Belong To?
Pear trees (Pyrus spp.) belong to the Rosaceae family, also known as the rose family.
Some of their relatives include peaches, cherries, and raspberries.
What Size Container Should I Use for Growing Pears?
The minimum container depth recommended for dwarf pear trees is 10 gallons.
Non-dwarf varieties have thick, extensive root systems and are not recommended for container gardens.
Learn more in our Choosing the Right Planter for Your Container Garden article here.
What Are Good Companion Plants for Pears?
Some of pears' best companions are as follows:
- Peas
- Beans such as green beans
- Mints such as peppermint and spearmint
- Basil
- Oregano
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Lavender
- Lemon balm
- Lemon verbena
- Marjoram
- Sage
- Tulsi
- Valerian
What Are Bad Companion Plants for Pears?
Pears are not compatible with every plant. Some things to avoid planting with pears are as follows:
What Soil Conditions Do Pears Need?
Pears prefer well-draining soil with a neutral pH and average fertility.
How Long Do Pears Take to Germinate?
Pears require cold stratification, so they should be planted in autumn for spring germination.
They take 3 months to germinate once the soil temperature is consistently above 50°F in the spring.
How Much Sun Do Pears Need?
Pears need full sun. They will not set fruit in the shade.
Sun recommendations can vary by region, and pears grown in hot areas or in warmer conditions than the ideal temperature range noted below may need light shade.
How Much Water Do Pears Need?
Pears need 1 inch of water every 1-2 weeks once established.
What Is the Ideal Temperature Range for Growing Pears?
Pears grow fastest in temperatures of 25-75°F.
This is their ideal temperature range. Although they will grow in temperatures both cooler and warmer than this range, the growth could be slower or even stunted.
Pear trees need 400-800 chill hours — hours where the temperature is 45ºF or lower — between growing seasons in order to set good-quality fruit.
Minimum and maximum temperatures will vary by variety. Some pear varieties are bred for later harvests and others for colder climates.
How Tall Do Pears Get?
The average height of pear trees is 25-40 feet. Their average width is 20-30 feet.
The exception to this is dwarf pear trees, which have an average height of 8-10 feet.
Are Pears Annual, Biennial, or Perennial?
Pears are perennial trees, meaning that they live for longer than a couple years.
More specifically, they can live from 15 to 50 or more years, depending on variety and growing conditions.
How Do Pears Reproduce?
Pears reproduce by seed or graft.
How Many Pears Are Produced Per Plant?
For pears, how many are produced per plant (also called the yield) largely depends on the type and variety.
Most mature pear trees produce 150-500 pounds of fruit per year.
Dwarf varieties produce 50-150 pounds of fruit per year.
Can Pears Be Ingested?
Pear fruits are edible.
Pears have nervine and astringent properties and can be used in herbal preparations. However, the most common preparations with them are culinary ones. Fresh or dried pears can be incorporated into a tea (infusion) blend.
There are no known safety concerns associated with ingesting pear fruits.
Further Reading
This article is intended as a quick-reference guide for gardeners. Consult your seed packet or seed catalog for variety-specific information.
When you have a bumper crop of pears rolling in, you may not have enough time for long, complicated recipes or many-step preservation procedures. Check out my article on quick, simple uses for pears here!
Pears are featured in these Plant to Plate articles: