Growing Plums in the Willamette Valley
Some varieties are way easier to grow than others.
Cliff notes: after collecting over 150 accounts of growing plums in western Oregon and Washington, I have a pretty good idea of the tried-and-true varieties (for sure Italian, Brooks, Shiro, Methley, Early Golden, Early Laxton, possibly Imperial Epineuse, Hollywood, Howard’s Miracle and Beauty). Some varieties have limited information available, and others are total duds.
The best rootstocks for our region seem to be Marianna and Myrobalan.
Pest and disease pressure: bacterial canker, aphids, and some kind of leaf curl (caused by plum leaf curl aphids) seem to be the most common problems - but are far less problematic on plums than they are other stonefruits. Don’t let these occasional issues discourage you.
Other “problems” include the tree getting too big because of lack of pruning, and several gardeners reporting so much fruit they don’t know what to do with it all. A good problem to have IMO — you can always sell or give away fruit.
I am somewhat late to the plum-growing game. I’ve got only one mature tree, which I planted when I first moved here, the Asian variety Methley. At first, I didn’t like this tree much other than the fact that it fruits heavily and reliably every year.
But then I learned that all Asian plums have bitter/sour skin which is best removed. Once I learned that to peel the skin away and suck out the juice and flesh, my experience improved immensely. I find the flavor kind of like watermelon, and really enjoy the time of year this fruit is available (mid-July - early August).
Other than the Methley, I haven’t planted other plums until recently. I just hadn’t found space for them yet, and wasn’t convinced I liked them enough to plant. But I have a u-pick orchard near me that has Brooks and Italian, so I’ve gotten to play around with them a bit.
They’re ok for fresh eating. But for preserving - wow! They are one of those fruits that I find very good dehydrated (I’m super picky). The other way I really like them is cut in half and roasted with a touch of sugar (brown sugar if you’ve got it) - absolutely delicious. Roasting brings out this super complex cherry-like flavor that I find absolutely devine. Best of all - these roasted plums are simple to just pop in the freezer. I find 1 tablespoon sugar: 1 pound of plums is plenty.
So now that I have figured out how I like them best, I’ve jumped on the plum train. I’ve been kind of poking around the topic of growing plums for a few years and now I’m ready for a deep-dive.
From what I hear, some plums are easy. Others are difficult. Most are disease prone.
So my quest focused on what plums are easiest to grow (and why) and what diseases and insects should I be on the lookout for.
First, a few photos to help whet your palate that home gardeners wanted to share with other would-be plum growers.
What is the biggest factor in plum-growing success?
Unlike many fruiting plants, the biggest factor is not disease or insect pressure in the varieties of plum you choose. The diseases common to plums seem to be common to all varieties (though some a little less so). Likewise, the pests (mostly aphids, which don’t impact the fruit) that are common to plum seem to inflict all varieties.
The biggest factor seems to be how sensitive the variety’s blooms are to cold snaps. The director of the Home Orchard Education Center explained it like this, when I asked about pluot varieties (plum/apricot crosses): “…Like many plums they bloom too early to be reliable bearers in the PNW”. She means that the blooms are so early that they tend to get damaged by early spring frosts.
I would further add that it doesn’t seem to be so much about bloom-timing, but rather how sensitive the blooms and developing fruits are to cold snaps. At least, that’s how it seems to be in my garden. For example, my Methley is the first fruit tree to put out blooms every year in my garden, yet I get tons of plums every year. In addition, my Splash pluot is the first of the pluots to flower, and has set fruit for three years in a row, unlike the other two varieties I’m growing which bloom later, and hardly set any fruit.
So how does a gardener know which varieties have blooms that are less susceptible to cold injury? Sadly, there is no University-backed publications on this topic.
I did find an OSU Master Gardener class online, but the recommendations are still based on personal experience: italian, brooks, damson, seneca, methley, shiro, beauty, howard’s miracle.
Short of that, here’s where I turn to what’s worked well for other gardeners in our region. But first, a word about rootstock.
Rootstock considerations: the sheer amount of rootstocks available for plums is a bit head-spinning. If you are unfamiliar - a rootstock is the base of the tree, with the preferred variety grafted on to it. Plums are mostly never grown from seed, because the resulting tree will be different from the parent plant.
Those rootstocks in bold, Marianna and Myrobalan, seem to be the top choices for heavy, water-logged soils and specific disease issues in the valley.
You’ll want to pay attention here, as this can impact the longevity of your tree. Some nurseries give you a choice in rootstocks, others only graft onto specific rootstocks. I’m not sure why - perhaps there is incompatibility issues, but what rootstock is available for the plants you are considering might influence which one you’ll end up selecting.
Caution: you’ll definitely want to verify the information I’ve provided here. I am an amateur reading through this information and the resources provided on the internet may be inferior to growers and experts who have access to. This is just to give you an idea of a starting point in the conversation. One professional orchardist reviewed the information provided here and said that Citation, Myrobalan, Marianna and St. Julian perform equally well and that Citation does not dwarf. Keep in mind this is coming from a professionally managed and irrigated system. We home gardeners tend to be a little more loosey-goosey with our growing habits.
Marianna is what a large amount of plums are grafted onto. It is susceptible to bacterial canker (discussed below), as all plum rootstocks are. But it does tolerate water-logging and is somewhat resistant to phytopthora which is a fairly common problem in our area. Since our area is subject to intense rains and clay soil, Mariana is a top choice. Unknown drought tolerance.
St Julien sounds quite similar to Mariana, but one major difference I saw in the literature is that this rootstock is susceptible to drought. Since our area does have a seasonal dependable drought (which is getting worse with climate change), Marianna may be a better choice. See the caution note above for more.
Citation sounds quite similar to the above two rootstocks. Drought tolerance unknown. However, there is a website that discusses Citation and makes it sound as though it stunts the tree considerably and that many trees just don’t last as long. Perhaps that is what UC California is referring to when it says the tree vigor is “dwarfing” compared to the above rootstocks. There are other websites - outside the area - that give it a thumbs-down. See the caution note above for more.
Myrobalan 29 is a standard size tree with good water-logging tolerance. Unknown drought tolerance. According to Dave Wilson’s site it will set a smaller crop than Marianna (which might be a good thing, considering plum trees tend to over crop and break branches). Partly resistant to phytopthora.
Krymsk 1 Good water-logging tolerance, unknown drought tolerance. Unknown phytopthora resistance would give me pause.
Nemaguard intolerant of water-logged soils. Unknown drought or phytopthora resistance. Prefers sandy soil. Does not sound like a good choice for our area.
Grower experiences:
I combed through many past internet forums and Facebook groups for threads related to growing plums **in our Willamette Valley region** and posted in all of these groups recently asking for feedback. I’ve gathered over 150 notes from gardeners as to what’s been working (and not working) for them. Rather than list them all here, I’ve made a separate document that you can access here.
WINNERS — this is the list to work off of if you want reliability.
Italian European is by FAR the most commonly planted plum tree in the Willamette Valley. Roughly 50 growers reported that this is the type they are growing and have success with. Very few reports of bacterial canker - only 1/50. At least one report of this plum growing successfully in partial shade. One report out of 50 of the tree simply not producing.
Brooks European is the next most commonly planted plum variety in our area. I personally have had them side-by-side, and prefer Brooks slightly over Italian. I find it sweeter and less bitter when eating it fresh (cooking/drying removes bitterness). There are at least two reports of this tree growing exceptionally well up in the foothills of Mt. Hood, roughly 1,500 feet, where it is colder, cloudier, rainier.
Shiro Asian: 8 reports of success. Most growers say this variety produces an incredible amount of fruit. I personally have tasted it, and find the flavor to be pretty boring (I think my Methley is a much better-flavored fruit). A couple of people mentioned that they really like to use this plum for jam versus eating fresh. Kids would probably also like this fruit as it is rather sweet. We adults tend to like a little more complexity.
Yellow/Golden Asian(?) plums: 9 growers referred to a yellow or golden plum that grows very well for them. I don’t see a variety offered that simply fits that description. There’s an early yellow from Raintree, but the photos I’m seeing don’t have that same blush. I wonder if the plums growers are referring to are Shiro.
Early Golden Asian made this list on recommendation from a professional orchardist in Eugene. It may be what some growers are referring to with the above yellow/golden plums. The orchardist says this is a “sister” variety to Methley, ripening even before Methley and is a reliable fruiter every year. It has a dry, apricot-like flavor and has better flavor than Shiro.
Methley Asian: reliably self-fruitful for me. 5 reports of success in the valley on this variety, no reports of failures. Available mid-July - early August.
Hollywood Asian: four reports of success, no reports of failures. Dark maroon colored foliage and pink blooms. One nursery says it is self-fertile, another says it needs another Asian pollinator.
Beauty Asian: 3 reports of excellent fruiting. Raintree says that this is a fruit very similar to famed Santa Rosa, but much more suited to this region. I hear it sets without a pollinator. Fruit is available July-August.
Imperial Epineuse European: 3 reports of success. I’m putting this one in the success category because I’ve heard solid reports from the Home Orchard Education Center. I’ve gotten the idea is that it isn’t reliable every year and has biennial bearing tendences, but, when it does fruit it is fantastic for fresh eating.
Early Laxton European: 3 reports of success, some notes that its blooms tend to succumb to the cold issues. Fruits very early in the season. An orchardist in Eugene who grows many varieties, reports that this is one of his favorite varieties of European plums for flavor. And it is *very* early, with fruiting in July.
Howard’s Miracle: I’m reluctantly putting in the success category, since the expert from the OSU video I mentioned above has had success with them, and the Home Orchard Education Center also sells them. A professional orchardist in Eugene grows them as well. But, my understanding is that this is an unreliable variety in our area - don’t count on them to fruit every year. I did not hear of any home growers reporting on this variety. Word is, the flavor is the reason to grow this one. Sounds similar to a good pluot.
NEEDS MORE INFO — these are the ones to try if you’re looking for special flavors or qualities, but they are not tried and true for our region. Therefore, not the ones to pick for reliability.
Moyer European: two reports of success in our region. Looks like a great variety and I look forward to hearing more.
Greengage European: there were actually 8 reports of successful fruiting. One grower said the flavor sucks, and no one else mentioned it having great flavor. One report of disease, one report of it just not fruiting.
Reine Claude Bavay: 1 report of success before a deer came along and ate it. Word is the flavor is amazing.
Satsuma Asian: two reports of it growing and fruiting well. One grower says they are growing Somatsuro, which I can’t find, they must be referring to Satsuma.
Damson European": 3 reports of solid fruiting — one is Shropshire Damson. My understanding is that this plum is not good for fresh eating, but outstanding for making jam or other preserves. Ripens extremely late in the season — late September/Octoberish, which is a bonus in that you don’t have to heat up your kitchen to be making preserves. I’d be curious how this one does in yards similar to mine that don’t have the best sun exposure since it ripens so late.
Milton plum: only one report of this one growing well. I don’t know what the gardener is referring to, as I don’t see it out there listed in catelogs.
Stanley: two reports of success, one report of bacterial canker. It seems this tree’s draw is that it is a more cold-hardy European plum than the others listed above.
Bavay Green Gage European: 1 report of disease in the flowers, another report of success.
Mirabelle: one report of success, one report of it not producing at all.
LOSERS — I don’t see any reason to plant any of the following. Please let me know if you have feedback otherwise.
Santa Rosa: there were 8 reports of success, but also 8 reports of various issues like severe disease or unfruitful trees. If you’re wanting something with this flavor profile, try checking out Beauty in the above success category.
Emerald Beaut Asian: one report of it just never flowering or fruiting at all.
Black Beauty: one report of it not fruiting at all.
Elephant Heart: only one person trying this in our region. It is succumbing to bacterial canker.
Mariposa (Improved Satsuma) this variety has not flowered at all despite being planted many years in one grower’s garden.
Toka/Bubblegum Asian plum: the reason I’m giving this one a thumbs-down is solely based on my tasting. I find there are much better Asian plums out there. Yes, it does taste like bubblegum and they are moderately ok for eating. My kid likes them. But why plant this variety when you can have much better-flavored Methley?
Problems: pest and disease pressure on plums are far less than that of other stone fruits (cherry, peach, nectarine). Here’s what to look out for:
Aphids: 15 grower reports - by far the most common complaint about growing plums is their susceptibility to aphids. Luckily, very few folks reported that it impacted their tree in the long run. I personally don’t have much experience with aphids - they tend to prefer areas with more hot sunshine than what I have. I’d refer to advice from your extension office or in this post from HOEC about pests and problems with stone fruits.
Leaf curl: 7 grower reports — was another common problem reported by growers. It looks remarkably like the leaf-curl that is reported on peach and nectarine. Except, this one seems to be a phenomenon that is caused by particular type of aphid called leafcurl plum aphid (be sure to read through the home orchard recommendations on this page if this is your issue). One grower had some kind of worm inside their leaves that were curling - so there could be another phenomenon going on here.
Bacterial Canker is next on the list for disease issues. 10 growers out of 150 reported something that looks like canker on their trees. Learn to identify and treat this issue to prolong the life of your tree, and do everything you can to avoid injury to the tree. Most importantly: do not prune in wet/cold weather. Refer to the above posted article from HOEC for more on what to do.
Tree growing too big/branches breaking: 9 growers reported that their trees had grown excessively large, that their branches were breaking and fruit out of reach. Learn to prune - but don’t do it during wet/cool weather so as to avoid the above bacterial canker issue!
Worms: a small handful of growers reported finding worms in their plums. Sounds like a very uncommon problem. I don’t know the culprit. If it were me, I’d be working to identify exactly what pest I was dealing with in order to come up with a solution. Start with the extension office and this post from the PNW pest and disease handbook. The only pest I recognize from this list as being particularly problematic in this region is the Spotted Wing Drysophila. If you’ve got fruit flies around your trees, this would be my suspect. In addition to reading through what they have to say about these bugs in the PNW handbook, you can refer to this post regarding SWD from HOEC on the topic.
Shothole is a problem that is very uncommonly encountered - in fact only 2/150 reported the issue. Again refer to the HOEC post about troubleshooting stone fruit.
Too much fruit: this wasn’t necessarily a complaint, but 15 growers did report they had so much fruit they were begging people to come pick it and giving the bounty away. Have a plan for what to do with all that fruit!
In my garden, I’m trialing a few varieties that I hope to report back in a few years:
Howard’s Miracle: recommended by HOEC as an outstanding fresh-eating fruit. It is not at all reliable, but a surprise treat when it does fruit in August-ish.
Imperial Epineuse: same as above but in September-ish.
Brooks: I’ve had this before and loved the flavor, and I know it is reliable. This is the one I’m counting on for my main crop of preserved plums.
French prune/plums: are supposed to be the best of the best for dried plums. We will see.
Nichols: was an impulse buy, I liked the idea of the dark foliage. It was found as a seedling at Nichols Nursery in western Oregon. The literature is confusing, OGW calls is a European plum, other sources say it is Asian. I actually wonder if it is Hollywood, which I would not object to at all.
And after positive reviews of the flavor of Early Laxton and Early Golden, I may have to find space for these very early-season fruits.
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Drop me a comment below with your experiences!
My Elephant Heart has had issues with plum aphids. It doesn't seem to have affected the tree's overall health - no signs of bacterial canker, etc. Tree is in it's 4th year - got fruit the first year, no fruit set the past two. Lots of blooms this year - we will see what the fruit set is this time around. I have Shiro and Santa Rosa Asian plums on a single tree to provide cross-pollinization. Shiro bears reliably and I always thin the fruit set. Santa Rosa hasn't had a crop in the 4 years of this tree's life.
My neighbors have a windbreak of two types of plum - one red, one yellow. Both are small fruits - maybe 1.5" in diameter. The trees are decades old, and none of us have any idea what varieties they are, but they bear heavily and consistently. They are great for snacking - the skin is tart but not as bitter as most Asian varieties. They also make a great jam; the yellow one in particular makes up to taste almost like honey. They run freely so are not grafted trees. One of these days, I will dig up some of the runners that have crossed into the drainage ditch and transplant them to my space. Until then, I harvest from the road side of the neighbor's trees and give them jars of plum jam in return. If there's an extra-big crop this year, I may also try to make plum wine.