Early Golden Apricot Tree

Light Needs

Full Sun

(At Least 6 Hours of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

15-25 Feet

Mature Spread

5-10 Feet

Growing Zones

4 to 9

Early Golden Apricot Tree puts a full-size, golden apricot harvest on a backyard-scale tree, with ripe fruit available from early July into early August. The tree reaches about 15–20 feet tall and 15–20 feet wide, and the large, sweet fruit is delicious fresh but also cooks down nicely for baking, canning, or drying. Early spring brings pink-to-white blooms that make it a legitimate landscape specimen even before fruiting, and the fruit colors up to a warm golden tone as it finishes. We’ve had the best results when we site it where it gets morning sun and quick-drying air, which helps the tree stay cleaner through the season.

Early Golden Apricot Care

Plant in early spring while the tree is dormant, setting it in full sun with 15–20 feet of space so the canopy can fill out without crowding. Early Golden Apricot Tree prefers loamy, well-drained soil that stays lightly moist but never soggy, with a soil pH around 6.0–7.0. Keep mulch pulled a few inches back from the trunk. Prune in late winter to remove crossing branches and open the center for light, and do only light touch-ups during summer if you need to take out damaged wood.

Growing Early Golden Apricot

From bloom to ripe fruit is typically about 90–120 days, with exact harvest timing dependent on heat and growing season length. Plan on roughly 300–500 chill hours for consistent flowering. While this tree is self-fertile, adding a second apricot variety nearby often improves fruit set and total yield. Start with a young tree in the ground as soon as you can work the soil, and protect early blooms from late frosts when possible since apricots tend to wake up early.

Growing Early Golden Apricot in Containers

Container growing is best as a temporary home while the tree is young, since mature size is substantial. Use a 25–30 gallon pot with fast drainage, refresh the top few inches of mix each spring, and repot every 2–3 years to prevent the root ball from tightening up. In the container, marigold and strawberry plants can share the pot edge in summer if you keep the mix on the dry side. In the ground, coneflower and rosemary fit well nearby to attract pollinators to the sun-loving, low-water planting.

Watering Early Golden Apricot

Water deeply after planting and keep the root zone evenly moist through the first growing season. Later, shift to deep soakings during dry spells rather than frequent light watering. If new leaves droop in the morning or the fruit starts dropping while still small, it’s a sign the tree needs a longer soak.

Feeding Early Golden Apricot

Feed in early spring with a balanced fruit-tree fertilizer as buds begin to swell, then follow with one lighter feeding after fruit set if growth looks weak. Avoid heavy nitrogen later in summer, since it can push tender growth that doesn’t harden off well and can reduce next year’s flower bud quality.

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