When to plant Pear trees
Calendar windows
Dates shift with your latitude — they are calculated from your local last-spring-frost date, not from a fixed calendar.
At a glance
Takes frost; can go out weeks before the last one.
Practical notes
Pears flower earlier than apples, so they want the most sheltered, frost-free corner you have. Almost all varieties need a pollination partner. Keep junipers out of the garden — they host pear rust.
Knowing when to pick
Pick pears under-ripe, while still firm, when the fruit lifts to the horizontal. Left on the tree they go brown and mushy from the core outwards.
Storing the crop
Chill at 1–3°C, then bring a few at a time into a warm room to finish. They are ready when the flesh yields at the neck.
Crop rotation
Permanent planting: never replant a rose-family plant straight into its own old site.
Grows well with
Keep apart from
Watch for
Full guide: pear trees diseases and pests (5) → with spread routes, compost verdicts and the prevention this list justifies.