There are many varieties of late blooming almonds if you were thinking our springs are too cold to grow these wonderful nuts. Nuts are a beneficial addition to the home orchard because they have so many uses- in baking, butters, and roasting, and are easy to store. Besides the crunchy and nutritious nuts, Almonds have beautiful and fragrant white to light pink flowers, usually coinciding with the ornamental plum and cherry blooms of early spring. Like peaches, they will perform best in a protected spot; ideally away from cold winds or cold air sinks. Hope for a fairly frost free spring for best flower and nut production! However, almonds perform wonderfully in our summer heat. Once established they require moderate water, a deep soak every couple of weeks is best; as all fruit trees like good drainage and no standing water. The late blooming Almonds are cold hardy to negative 20 degrees once established, with ‘All in One’ being a little less cold hardy- Zone 8 is best. They will produce nuts typically 2-3 years after planting and are naturally semi-dwarf (typically 15-20′ in height but can be pruned smaller), perfect for smaller yards. Come early for the best selection!
The varieties we like are:
Almond Trees
‘All in One’ – Mid to late blooming, but is self-fertile and naturally semi-dwarf, will stay about 12’x12′, soft shelled, heavy producer, ripens late Sept./early Oct.
‘Bounty’– Late blooming, does best with other almond for pollenizer, ripens in Sept., produces large, very sweet, semi-softshell nuts
‘Nikita’s Pride’– Very late blooming, most cold hardy variety developed in Ukraine, large, soft shelled nuts, does best with other almond for pollenizer, can put two almond varieties in one hole
‘Oracle’– Very late blooming and early ripening, sweet, semi-hardshell nuts, does best with other almond for pollinizer, can put two almond varieties in one hole
‘Prima’– Sweet, soft shelled nuts, hardy, productive and reliable, very late blooming, does best with other late blooming almond for pollinizer, can put two almond varieties in one hole