Oregon · Washington · Idaho
When to plant plum trees
Plant in the garden: Portland and Seattle Mar 1 – Apr 26; Spokane Apr 1 – May 27; Boise Mar 20 – May 15; Bend Apr 28 – Jun 23.
Your dates in
Plum trees are small fruit trees grown for fresh plums, jam and drying. European plums are oval, firm and sweet, and the best for drying; Japanese plums are round, juicy and often red or yellow. A prune is simply a European plum with enough sugar to dry without fermenting around the pit.
Puts plum trees on your free plan, with dates for your town and a spot in your beds.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Sun
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 12 to 15 feet apart for dwarf or semi-dwarf trees
- Planting depth
- Graft union 2 to 3 inches above the soil
- Frost
- Hardy perennial; comes back every year
- First harvest
- First plums in three to five years
Italian prune plums have been a Northwest backyard staple for a century. European plums like Italian and Stanley fruit on their own; Japanese plums need a partner.
Plum planting dates
| Towns | Plant in the garden |
|---|---|
| Portland, OR, Seattle and Tacoma, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
| Spokane, WA | Apr 1 – May 27 |
| Boise and Meridian, ID | Mar 20 – May 15 |
| Bend and Redmond, OR | Apr 28 – Jun 23 |
| Astoria, OR | Mar 25 – May 20 |
Dates for six main cities. For any of the other 80 towns, type it in the box at the top of the page or browse all towns.
| Gresham, OR, Oregon City and West Linn, OR, Portland, OR, St. Helens and Scappoose, OR, Wilsonville and Canby, OR | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
|---|---|
| Hillsboro and Beaverton, OR | Mar 5 – Apr 30 |
| Corvallis and Albany, OR, Eugene, OR, Salem, OR | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
|---|---|
| Cottage Grove, OR | Mar 13 – May 8 |
| McMinnville and Newberg, OR | Mar 4 – Apr 29 |
| Ashland and Talent, OR | Mar 25 – May 20 |
|---|---|
| Grants Pass, OR, Medford, OR, Roseburg, OR | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
| Astoria, OR, Brookings and Gold Beach, OR, Coos Bay and North Bend, OR, Newport and Lincoln City, OR, Tillamook, OR | Mar 25 – May 20 |
|---|
| Bend and Redmond, OR, Klamath Falls, OR | Apr 28 – Jun 23 |
|---|---|
| Burns, OR | Apr 30 – Jun 25 |
| Lakeview, OR | Apr 23 – Jun 18 |
| Madras, OR, Prineville, OR | Apr 20 – Jun 15 |
| Baker City, OR, Enterprise and Joseph, OR, John Day, OR | Apr 20 – Jun 15 |
|---|---|
| Hermiston, OR, Hood River, OR, Ontario, OR, Pendleton, OR, The Dalles, OR | Mar 20 – May 15 |
| La Grande, OR | Apr 1 – May 27 |
| Bremerton and Port Orchard, WA, Everett, WA, Kent, Renton and Auburn, WA, Seattle and Tacoma, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
|---|---|
| Olympia, WA | Mar 18 – May 13 |
| Shelton, WA | Mar 16 – May 11 |
| Anacortes, WA, Bellingham, WA, Friday Harbor and the San Juans, WA, Mount Vernon and Burlington, WA, Oak Harbor and Whidbey Island, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
|---|
| Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WA, Forks, WA, Long Beach and Ilwaco, WA | Mar 25 – May 20 |
|---|---|
| Port Angeles, WA, Port Townsend, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
| Sequim, WA | Mar 10 – May 5 |
| Centralia and Chehalis, WA | Mar 11 – May 6 |
|---|---|
| Longview and Kelso, WA, Vancouver, WA | Mar 1 – Apr 26 |
| Chelan, WA, Wenatchee, WA | Mar 20 – May 15 |
|---|---|
| Leavenworth, WA, Omak and Okanogan, WA | Apr 1 – May 27 |
| Winthrop and Twisp, WA | Apr 3 – May 29 |
| Ellensburg, WA | Apr 1 – May 27 |
|---|---|
| Ephrata and Quincy, WA, Moses Lake, WA, Sunnyside, Grandview and Prosser, WA, Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WA, Walla Walla, WA | Mar 20 – May 15 |
| Goldendale, WA | Apr 7 – Jun 2 |
| Yakima, WA | Mar 27 – May 22 |
| Colville, WA, Pullman, WA, Spokane, WA | Apr 1 – May 27 |
|---|
| Bonners Ferry, ID, Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls, ID, Sandpoint, ID | Apr 1 – May 27 |
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| Lewiston, ID | Mar 20 – May 15 |
|---|---|
| Moscow, ID | Apr 1 – May 27 |
| Boise and Meridian, ID, Emmett, ID, Nampa and Caldwell, ID | Mar 20 – May 15 |
|---|---|
| McCall, ID | May 11 – Jul 6 |
| Burley and Rupert, ID, Idaho Falls, ID, Pocatello, ID, Rexburg, ID, Twin Falls, ID | Apr 1 – May 27 |
|---|---|
| Salmon, ID | Apr 20 – Jun 15 |
Plum year at a glance
| Task | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant | Mar | Apr | ||||||||||
| Harvest | Jul | Aug | Sep | |||||||||
| In bloom | Mar | Apr |
Around Portland. Colder towns, especially east of the Cascades, run a few weeks later; the table above has your town's planting dates. Harvest months are for an established plant.
How to grow plum trees
- Pick a sunny spot with soil that drains well, and mix in an inch or two of compost.
- Plant plum trees on your city's dates, 12 to 15 feet apart for dwarf or semi-dwarf trees. Graft union 2 to 3 inches above the soil.
- Water deeply through the first two summers. Prune lightly in summer, not winter, which lowers the risk of silver leaf and canker. Thin heavy crops so branches don't snap.
- Harvest: Pick when the fruit is fully colored, slightly soft and comes off easily. Prune plums for drying should hang until they wrinkle slightly at the stem.
Growing plum trees in your part of the Northwest
The same plant behaves differently on the wet west side, the foggy coast and the dry, colder east side.
West-side valleys
Willamette Valley, Puget Sound, southern Oregon
Italian prune plums have been grown in the Willamette Valley for over a century. Brown rot spreads in wet weather near harvest; pick off and throw away rotting fruit.
East of the Cascades
Columbia Basin, Yakima, Boise, Spokane, north Idaho
Plums grow well with irrigation, but they bloom early, and a late spring frost can wipe out the crop.
High desert and mountain towns
Central Oregon, high eastern Oregon valleys, McCall, Salmon
European and Japanese plums often lose blossoms to frost. Hardy American and hybrid plums are more dependable.
More plum varieties
More widely sold picks that do well somewhere in the Northwest. The tag says which part of the Northwest suits each one best.
Italian prune
The traditional Northwest prune plum, with sweet, dense, freestone flesh for drying, baking and eating fresh. Self-fertile and very productive.
Both sides
Stanley
A dependable blue-purple prune plum that is cold-hardy and bears heavily. Great for canning, drying and tarts, and a good pollinator for other European plums.
Both sides
Methley
One of the earliest plums, with sweet, juicy red flesh under purple-red skin. Self-fertile and productive, it also helps pollinate other Japanese plums.
Both sides
Shiro
Round golden-yellow plums that are juicy and very sweet when fully ripe. Trees bear heavily and early; plant another Japanese plum such as Methley for the best crops.
Both sides
Santa Rosa
A widely planted red-purple plum with tangy skin and sweet, aromatic flesh. It sets some fruit alone and more with a partner, and its blooms come early.
Both sides
Green Gage
A classic small green plum known for its exceptionally rich, honeyed flavor. Self-fertile and relatively compact, it is a treat fresh off the tree and for jam.
Both sides
How much to grow
How many to plant
European plums like Italian are often self-fertile. Japanese plums usually need a second Japanese variety.
What to expect
A mature semi-dwarf tree gives about 1 to 2 bushels.
Storing the harvest
Keep a week or two in the fridge. Prune plums dry well.
Key numbers
- 3–5Years to fruit
- Self-fertileEuropean plums
- Summer, in dry weatherWhen to prune
- Brown rotBiggest risk
Top care tip: Thin fruit so no two plums touch, which cuts brown rot and keeps branches from snapping.
Growing notes
What makes the difference in Northwest gardens, in plain language.
European or Japanese plums
European plums, including Italian prune and Stanley, bloom later and fruit on their own, which makes them the easiest choice for most Northwest gardens. Their dense, sweet flesh is great fresh, dried or baked. Japanese plums such as Shiro and Methley bloom earlier, have juicier fruit and ripen in mid-summer. Shiro sets a much better crop with another Japanese plum nearby, and Methley is a popular partner because it's partly self-fertile. In frost-prone spots, the earlier bloom of Japanese plums can get caught by a cold snap.
Why plums are pruned in summer
Plums and other stone fruits are prone to silver leaf and bacterial canker, which enter through pruning cuts in cool, wet weather. Cuts made in dry summer weather heal fast and stay clean. Prune lightly after harvest or in July, removing dead wood, crossing branches and tall upright shoots.
Heavy crops are common. Thin young fruit to 3 to 4 inches apart in early summer: the remaining plums grow bigger, brown rot spreads less between touching fruit, and branches are less likely to snap.
Harvest and brown rot
Brown rot is the main Northwest plum problem. It blights blossoms in rainy springs and turns ripening fruit into fuzzy gray balls that dry into mummies. Those mummies carry the fungus into next year, so pick them off the tree and the ground. Good airflow and thinning help a lot.
Italian prunes are sweetest when left to hang until they wrinkle slightly at the stem. Japanese plums soften quickly once ripe, so check every couple of days.
Good neighbors
Good neighbors
- Another plum variety. Better crops, even on self-fertile types.
Pests and problems
What most often goes wrong with plum trees in Northwest gardens, how to spot it and what to do.
Brown rot
Signs: Fuzzy gray rot on ripening fruit.
What to do: Thin fruit and remove mummies.
Aphids
Signs: Curled leaves on new shoots.
What to do: Hose off; predators usually follow.
Bacterial canker
Signs: Gum oozing from branches in spring.
What to do: Prune in dry summer weather, not winter.
Common questions about growing plum trees
When should I plant plum trees in Oregon, Washington and Idaho?
Plant in the garden: Mar 1 – Apr 26 in Portland and Seattle, Apr 1 – May 27 in Spokane, Mar 20 – May 15 in Boise and Apr 28 – Jun 23 in Bend. Pick your town at the top of the page for your own dates.
Do plum trees need a pollinator?
European plums like Italian prune and Stanley are self-fertile and fruit fine alone. Japanese plums such as Shiro do much better with another Japanese plum nearby.
What's the difference between a prune and a plum?
A prune plum is a European plum with dense, sweet flesh that dries well without fermenting at the pit. Italian prune is the classic Northwest variety, and it's just as good eaten fresh.
Why are my plums rotting on the tree?
That's usually brown rot, a fungus spread by wet weather. Thin the fruit so plums don't touch, remove any shriveled mummies from the tree and the ground, and pick promptly when ripe.
See what else to plant in March or April.
Apple trees
Pear trees
Cherry trees
Peach trees
Fig trees
Hazelnut trees
Asian pear trees
Persimmon trees
Quince trees
Mulberry trees