Pears · 2027 season
Bartlett Pear Tree
Pyrus communis
Needs a partnerThe classic sweet, juicy pear for eating and canning.
- #7 container
- About 1.25" caliper
Pick up in Pittsgrove, NJ, typically in March. Pay cash, check, Venmo or PayPal at pickup.
Bartlett (called Williams in Europe) is the most popular pear in the country: sweet, juicy, buttery and fragrant. It's the pear for canning and for eating fresh.
Pick Bartlett when it's full size but still firm and green, then let it ripen on the counter for a few days. It turns yellow and soft. Left on the tree, pears go mealy at the core.
Bartlett is susceptible to fire blight, so keep an eye out for scorched-looking shoots in spring and cut them out well below the damage.
Bartlett needs about 800 winter chill hours, which South Jersey provides.
How it tastes
Sweet, juicy and aromatic, with buttery, melting flesh once it's ripened on the counter. The classic pear flavor.
At a glance
- You get
- #7 container, about 1.25" caliper (trunk thickness 6 inches above the soil; each tree varies a little)
- Hardiness zones
- USDA 5–8 (Salem County is 7)
- Blooms
- Mid season, over a long period
- Ripens
- Mid to late August
- Starts bearing
- Usually 3–5 years after planting
- Mature size
- Depends on rootstock; ask us
- Pollination
- Needs a partner
- Botanical name
- Pyrus communis
- Price
- $88 each, paid at pickup
- Pickup
- Pittsgrove, NJ, typically in March
The fruit
- Looks
- Large, bell-shaped, golden-yellow when ripe
- Flavor
- Sweet, juicy, buttery and aromatic
- Best for
- Fresh, Canning, Baking, Cooking
- Keeps
- Pick green; keeps a few weeks chilled, then ripen on the counter
Pollination
Bartlett crops much better with another European pear nearby. Kieffer is the partner on our list. Asian pears won't reliably pollinate it.
Good partners from our list
Growing tips
Watch for: Susceptible to fire blight; pear psylla insects
- Full sun. Pears handle heavier, wetter soil better than most fruit trees.
- Fire blight is the main pear problem in our humid summers. Prune out blackened, scorched-looking shoots well below the damage, and don't overfeed with nitrogen.
- European pears are picked firm and ripened on the counter. Asian pears ripen on the tree and are picked ready to eat.
- Prune lightly in late winter.
New to planting fruit trees? Read our step-by-step planting guide: square hole, graft above the soil, native soil, and no fruit for the first two years.
Photos show the variety, not the exact plant you’ll get. Reservations are for the 2027 season, picked up at our farm in Pittsgrove, NJ, typically in March, and aren’t guaranteed until we confirm them. Questions? Ask us or call or text (856) 345‑4538.
