Sloat Garden Centers logo

Planting fruit trees on a hillside

Home | Tree Care | Planting fruit trees on a hillside

Question

We have a plot of land that is on a hill. I would like to plant some fruit bearing trees. Our hill faces West and gets a lot of sun. What sort of fruit bearing trees would you recommend and do you see any problems with planting these kind of trees on a hill that slopes 20 degrees or more? We may have to build some sort of retaining wall to make it happen, but I wanted to see what your thoughts are in terms of planting these type of trees.
Bruce
San Francisco

Answer

I see no problem with planting fruit trees on a slope. Most every fruit tree prefers good drainage which a slope will provide. You would do well with apple, pear and plum trees. You will most likely need to do some excavation to form recesses that the trees can be planted in and take into account how you will reach future harvests.

Share this post

More From Ask the Garden Guru

Newsletter Sign Up

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Copyright ©2026 Sloat Garden Center