Gem Pear Tree

OUR STORY

Trees are bench grafted 1/4-3/16 inch diameter and 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall when shipped. Discover the Gem Pear: Crisp, Sweet, and Built to Thrive! Looking for a showstopping addition to your orchard or backyard garden? Meet the Gem Pear—the modern European dessert pear that combines gourmet flavor with unmatched growing reliability. A Pedigree of Excellence Born from decades of dedicated research, Gem began as a 1970 cross between Sheldon and US62563-004 at the USDA’s Beltsville Agricultural Research Center in Maryland. Selected in 1981 by horticulturist Dr. Richard Bell and trialed across top university research stations—including Oregon State, Michigan State, and Clemson—Gem was officially released to the public in the mid-2010s. Bred with natural fire blight resistance inherited from Barseck and Seckel, it was specifically designed to give both commercial growers and backyard gardeners a healthier, higher-yielding tree. Two Ways to Savor the Flavor Why choose between a crisp bite and a melting dessert pear when you can have both? Gem offers a sweet, mildly aromatic flavor profile with a subtle, spicy kick that rivals classic Bartlett pears. • Crunchy & Refreshing: Enjoy it straight off the tree or right out of the fridge for an invigorating, apple-like snap. • Soft & Juicy: Let it rest at room temperature after cold storage, and the flesh transforms into a classic, buttery dessert pear. Endless Culinary & Storage Uses With its gorgeous yellow-green skin painted in a vibrant red blush, Gem is a star in the kitchen and on the table. Best of all, its off-white flesh resists browning after slicing, making it the ultimate choice for fresh salads, lunchboxes, and charcuterie boards. It also holds up beautifully for baking and poaching, and stores in refrigeration for 5 to 7 months without core breakdown or skin scald. Grower Specs at a Glance • USDA Hardiness Zones: Zones 4–8 (thrives across cold northern winters and moderate climates). • Chill Hours: Requires approximately 600–800 chill hours for optimal dormancy reset and heavy fruit set. • Bloom Time: Mid-season bloomer (flowers reliably in mid-to-late spring). • Pollination Partners: Not self-fertile—plant within 100 feet of another mid-season blooming pear for heavy harvests. Top compatible partners include Bartlett, Moonglow, Flemish Beauty, Harrow Crisp, and Harrow Sweet. Plant a True Orchard Gem Today! Precocious, fire-blight resistant, and bursting with versatile flavor, the Gem pear tree delivers heavy annual harvests year after year.

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