When to plant Pear (bare-root fruit tree)
Computed from land-grant Extension planting-window rules (cited below), localized to real ZIP-level median frost dates, not a single national guess. These are national-generic rules by hardiness class; individual state Extension offices layer their own regional adjustment on top (earlier in the Deep South, later in the Upper Midwest). Enter your ZIP for your own dates, or read the four representative locations below.
Planting windows and crop timing here are computed from USDA/NOAA climate data and the university extension sources cited below, not a site visit or soil test. Treat this as a starting point: local conditions vary, and a local nursery or extension office can advise on your exact site. See our full Disclaimer.
Representative timing, by climate band
When to plant Pear (bare-root fruit tree) in four US climates
Each column is the most nursery-dense location in our directory within that USDA zone band, computed from that location's own real median frost dates, not a made-up example.
| Stage |
Zones 1-5 (cold winters)
Fort Plain, NY |
Zones 6-7 (temperate)
McMinnville, TN |
Zones 8-9 (warm)
Apopka, FL |
Zones 10-13 (hot, frost rare or absent)
Loxahatchee, FL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start seed indoors | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Direct-sow outside | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Transplant outside | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Fall planting | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
| Expected harvest | Not available | Not available | Not available | – |
Zones 10-13 (hot, frost rare or absent) (Loxahatchee, FL): Frost is rare here (about 359 frost-free days a year); most years see little or no hard freeze. This is a hardy crop. In climates like this one, hardy and semi-hardy crops typically go in during the cooler months (fall through late winter), not on a frost-relative schedule.
Pear follows the same rule as apple. University of Illinois Extension explicitly states its bare-root fruit-tree planting timing applies uniformly across apple, pear, peach, plum, cherry, and apricot, with no species-specific difference given (Fruit Trees for Home Gardens: Planting). Plant bare-root stock while dormant in early spring, before bud break, just after the soil thaws.
Late-fall planting is acceptable only in warmer, southern-Illinois-type climates, per the same source, and no years-to-bearing figure is sourced for pear. It's sold as dormant bare-root stock for the early-spring window, the same form as the other bare-root fruit trees on this site.
Frost hardiness
Hardy. Tolerates hard frost. Can go in the ground before the last frost date.
Sourcing notes
Same sourced rule as apple (Univ. of Illinois Extension explicitly states its bare-root fruit-tree planting timing applies uniformly across apple, pear, peach, plum, cherry, and apricot -- no species-specific difference given). Plant bare-root while dormant in early spring before bud break, just after soil thaws; late-fall planting acceptable only in warmer (southern IL-type) climates.
Related crops
Growing zones for this crop
Nurseries near these locations
Sources
- University of Illinois Extension, Fruit Trees for Home Gardens: Planting (accessed 2026-08-04)
- Iowa State University Extension - Yard and Garden, How to Plant Bare Root Trees (accessed 2026-08-04)