Domakihub How to Plant an Apricot Tree and Harvest Sun-Ripened Fruit
A practical planting guide for gardens, holiday rentals, and hotel courtyards in Greece.
Reviewed by Domakihub garden pros · 2026-06-23 · 5 min read
Few additions improve a Greek garden more than an apricot tree: it tolerates summer drought, rewards you with fragrant blossom in February, and delivers kilos of fruit by June. The video above walks through planting and first-year pruning in clear detail; the steps below translate that process to the conditions you will find on a home plot, holiday rental, or hotel courtyard in Greece. Follow this guide once, and you can expect fruit within two to three seasons.
Why Apricots Thrive in the Greek Climate
Apricots (Prunus armeniaca) originated in continental Asia and crossed into Greece via the Silk Road — they are essentially built for hot, dry summers and cool winters. The combination of intense summer sunshine, low humidity, and mild but genuine winter chill (typically 400–600 chill hours in most mainland and island regions) matches the tree's requirements almost perfectly. Coastal properties in Crete or the Cyclades may fall slightly short on chill hours, so look for low-chill varieties such as Goldrich or Katy for those sites.
Apricots also make commercial sense for rental or hotel properties: the tree is long-lived (30-plus years), relatively drought-tolerant once established, and provides ornamental value as well as fruit. A mature specimen can double as a shade canopy over a terrace or dining area.
Choosing the Right Spot and Variety
Full sun is non-negotiable — aim for at least eight hours of direct light per day. Avoid frost pockets and north-facing walls; late frost in February or March is the single biggest threat to an apricot crop because the tree blooms very early. A south or west-facing wall that radiates stored heat overnight can push the odds in your favour on exposed sites.
For most of mainland Greece and the northern islands, the classic local variety 'Bebecou' (also sold as 'Bebecou Larisis') is widely available, well adapted, and produces large, sweet fruit. For warmer coastal zones choose Goldrich or Flavor Cot. If your garden is small, semi-dwarf rootstocks such as Montclar keep the tree to around three metres, which also makes netting against birds more practical.
How to Plant an Apricot Tree: 5 Steps
- 1
Prepare the planting hole in autumn or early spring
Dig a hole roughly twice the width and the same depth as the root ball or bare-root spread — typically 60 cm wide and 50 cm deep. Break up the base with a fork to improve drainage; apricots hate waterlogged roots and will develop root rot in compacted or clay-heavy ground. Mix one-third well-rotted compost or aged manure back into the excavated soil; this improves structure without over-fertilising, which can encourage soft, disease-prone growth.
- 2
Position the tree at the correct depth
The graft union — the slight kink or bulge low on the trunk where the variety was budded onto the rootstock — must sit 5 to 10 cm above soil level. Planting too deep buries the union and can cause the variety to produce its own roots, eventually losing the size-controlling benefit of the rootstock. Stand the tree in the hole, lay a cane across the top to check the final soil level, and adjust the backfill beneath the roots until the depth is right.
- 3
Backfill, water in, and mulch
Return the amended soil around the roots in stages, firming it gently with your boot after each layer to eliminate large air pockets. When the hole is filled, form a shallow watering basin — a low ridge of soil in a 60 cm circle around the trunk — to direct irrigation water to the root zone. Water deeply and slowly (20 to 30 litres) immediately after planting, then apply a 7 to 10 cm layer of wood-chip or straw mulch within the basin, keeping it 10 cm clear of the trunk to prevent collar rot.
- 4
Prune to an open-centre framework at planting
For a bare-root tree, cut the main stem back to roughly 60 to 80 cm above the ground immediately after planting. This seems drastic but it forces the tree to push energy into three or four scaffold branches rather than a single upright shoot, creating the open-vase shape that allows light and air into the canopy — the key to disease control and productive fruiting in humid Mediterranean summers. Remove any weak, crossing, or downward-facing side shoots at this stage.
- 5
Water and feed through the first growing season
For the first summer, water every seven to ten days in the absence of rain, delivering 15 to 20 litres each time directly into the basin. Resist the urge to fertilise heavily in year one; a single application of balanced granular fertiliser (e.g. 12-12-17) in early March is sufficient. From year two onward, apply a potassium-rich feed in late winter to promote flowering and fruit set. Reduce irrigation sharply from mid-August to harden the wood before winter.
Rather have a pro handle it?
Get a vetted gardening pro in your city — one number, booked in EN/EL/DE.
FAQ
- When is the best time to plant an apricot tree in Greece?
- Late autumn (November to December) is ideal for bare-root trees, which arrive dormant and establish roots before spring growth begins. Container-grown trees can be planted almost any time the ground is workable, but avoid planting in midsummer heat; if you must, shade the trunk and water every four to five days until autumn.
- Do I need two apricot trees for pollination?
- Most mainstream apricot varieties grown in Greece — including Bebecou, Goldrich, and Flavor Cot — are self-fertile, so a single tree will produce fruit without a pollination partner. That said, planting two compatible varieties within 15 metres of each other often increases yields noticeably, which is worth considering on larger properties or if you want a reliable crop for a holiday rental kitchen.
- How long before a newly planted apricot tree produces fruit?
- A grafted tree (the standard type sold by nurseries) typically begins fruiting in its second or third year after planting. Seed-grown trees take much longer — five to seven years or more — and may not reproduce the parent variety faithfully, which is why nursery-grafted stock is always recommended. Once in full production, a healthy mature tree in Greece can yield 30 to 60 kilos per season.