Variety comparison tables
A species tells you whether a plant can grow where you are; the variety decides whether it fruits. These 12 tables put named cultivars side by side on the one trait that usually settles it — winter chill, cold hardiness, whether a single tree sets fruit alone, or which diseases it shrugs off — drawn from the same cultivar catalog behind every guide in the library.
All tables 81 varieties compared
8Low-chill peaches & nectarinesPeaches and nectarines that fruit on 175–500 hours of winter chill.7Low-chill plumsJapanese and Gulf-bred plums that crop on 150–500 chill hours.5Low-chill apricotsApricots for mild winters — 300 to 500 chill hours.10Cold-hardy applesApples rated to zone 4 or colder — Minnesota breeding at its best.7Cold-hardy figsFigs that fruit after northern winters — Chicago Hardy to Desert King.5Self-fertile plumsPlums that set fruit alone — Methley, Stanley and the European prunes.5Self-fertile sweet cherriesStella, Lapins and kin — sweet cherries that don't need a partner.15Self-fertile pearsPears that set fruit alone, fully or partially — Kieffer to Comice.13Fireblight-resistant pearsThe pears that survive the South's tree-killer bacterium.5Disease-resistant applesScab-immune and blight-resistant apples for a spray-free orchard.13Storage applesLate-October apples that hold in a cold cellar until spring.10Disease-resistant tomatoesLate-blight and wilt-resistant tomatoes that finish the season standing.
Also in the library
Collections sorts the library by kind, trait and USDA zone; the full library holds every guide.