Growing Pears in Colder Climates

Outdoor Growing

• Your ability to grow a pear tree in a colder climate depends upon two factors: the variety of pear tree you select and how cold your climate actually is. A 1993 University of Minnesota study found that the Angel Wing, Autumn Blaze and Chanticleer cultivars of the Callery pear were cold-hardy enough to survive a winter with regular temperatures as low as 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Outdoor growers in colder zones should avoid the Asian pear and its cultivars since the Asian pear is particularly susceptible to cold weather and will not survive.

Container Growing

• If growing a pear tree outdoors is not an option because of cold weather, consider growing your pear tree indoors in a container. The BBC notes that, with the proper care, a pear tree can thrive in a container. For best results, select a young tree with a strong root ball and plant it in a container full of well-draining soil that is large enough to accommodate an adult tree's root ball. Place the container in an area where the tree receives both sun and shade. Select the location carefully. A pot containing an adult pear tree is heavy and it's unlikely that you will be able to move the container once the tree reaches adulthood.

Greenhouse Growing

• An ideal compromise between growing your pear tree indoors in a container and growing it outdoors is to grow your pear tree in a greenhouse. A greenhouse traps heat from the sun and gives plants that are susceptible to the cold, such as pear trees, the warmer climate they need to survive. You don't have to shell out thousands of dollars for a professional greenhouse just to grow a pear tree. Greenhouse kits are available in many garden-supply stores for the budding grower. You can also build your own greenhouse using bendable PVC pipes and polyethylene sheet plastic. The Geophysical Institute of the University of Alaska Fairbanks notes that polyethylene is just as effective as glass at locking in solar rays and keeping plants warm.

Considerations

• The average adult pear tree is 15 to 20 feet tall – much too tall for the average home or greenhouse. While severe pruning is an option, improper pruning can hurt fruit production. For growers in colder climates who want an annual pear crop but don't want to struggle to keep the pear tree's size in check, dwarf pear trees are an option. Dwarf pear trees reach a height half that of their taller cousins while still producing pears perfect for baking, canning or eating right off the tree.