Porter, Oklahoma · The orchard
The Orchard: Thirteen Trees and a Long Promise
Apple, pear, cherry, persimmon, fig and peach, all young and none bearing yet. We’re writing down every season until they do.
Why plant an orchard you have to wait for?
In the Georgics, Virgil tells farmers that some trees grow for their grandchildren. We took that personally. Our orchard is thirteen young trees on our Wagoner County farm, and right now it’s mostly sticks, mulch, hope and a watering schedule. None of the trees are bearing yet. Some may give us a handful of fruit in a year or two. Others will make us wait much longer.
That’s the point. An orchard is a promise you make to the people you’ll be in ten years, and to the kids who’ll be grown by then. We’re planting it slowly, learning as we go, and keeping an honest record here for anyone who wants to grow fruit in Oklahoma, or just watch someone try.
Meet the thirteen trees
| Fruit | Trees | Year planted | Typical first fruit* | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple | 1 | 2024 | 2–5 years after planting | Growing, not bearing |
| Pear | 3 | 2024 | 3–6 years | Growing, not bearing |
| Cherry | 2 | 2024 | 3–7 years | Growing, not bearing |
| Persimmon | 1 | 2025 | 3–6 years | Growing, not bearing |
| Fig | 2 | 2024 (1), 2025 (1) | 1–3 years | Growing, not bearing |
| Peach | 4 | 2024 | 2–4 years | Growing, not bearing |
| Total | 13 | None bearing yet |
*General nursery guidelines. The real timing depends on variety, rootstock, weather and how kind the late frosts are.
Tree by tree
Apples. The orchard’s steady workhorses. Apples need winter chill and a pollination partner, and they need patience through Oklahoma’s spring whiplash. We’ll be pruning for a strong scaffold long before we pick anything.
Pears. Pears are famously slow to start and famously long-lived, so you plant them for your grandchildren. They’re also among the toughest fruit trees for our Oklahoma heat.
Cherries. The first to bloom and the first to worry us. An early-spring cherry blossom in Wagoner County is a bet against a late frost. We’ll tell you how the bet goes.
Persimmons. The patient tree. Persimmons have deep roots in Oklahoma, and the native kind grows wild along fencerows across the state. A ripe persimmon after the first frost is one of fall’s best-kept secrets.
Figs. Our likely early bloomers. Figs can fruit young, but an Oklahoma winter can knock them back to the ground. We’ll be mulching, wrapping and hoping.
Peaches. We live in Porter, the official Peach Capital of Oklahoma, so of course we planted peaches. They get their own page. → Porter Peaches
What we’re learning (honestly)
- Soil and drainage. Young roots hate wet feet. We’re watching where water sits after a storm.
- Chill hours and late frosts. Oklahoma can serve up a 75° February afternoon and a hard freeze in March. Bloom timing matters more than anything.
- Summer water. The first two summers decide whether a young tree makes it. Our kids are learning that a watering can is a serious tool.
- Pests and critters. Deer, rabbits, borers and Japanese beetles all have opinions about young trees.
We’ll write about every one of these in the Orchard Journal, with dated photos taken from the same spot each month so you can watch the trees grow.
Haylee’s notes from the orchard
I love going out in the evening and seeing how the trees have grown.
Be the first to taste it
When the first apple, fig or persimmon is ready, it will be a small handful, not a harvest. But we’d love to share it with the people who’ve been following along. Join the First Fruit list and we’ll write to you when anything in the orchard bears. No spam, and no promises about dates. Trees keep their own calendar.
