Harrow Sweet Pear is a cold-hardy cultivar that thrives in zones 4 through 4, producing abundant crops of medium-sized golden fruits blushed with orange and touched with light russeting. The white flesh delivers excellent, genuinely sweet flavor that works equally well fresh from the tree or preserved in jams and sauces. These two-year-old bare-root trees from Full Circus Farm in Pine Plains, New York arrive vigorous and ready to establish, growing to a standard 18 to 20 feet tall on OHxF 97 rootstock.
Full Sun
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4-8
240in H x 216in W
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High
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Golden fruits with a warm orange blush and russet freckling conceal pure white, juicy flesh with a flavor that's genuinely sweet rather than merely acceptable. The tree bears heavily and reliably, even in cold climates where many pear varieties struggle. Disease resistance combines with that abundant productivity to make this a dependable choice for anyone serious about pears in northern gardens.
Harrow Sweet excels as a fresh-eating pear, where its juicy white flesh and genuine sweetness shine without any need for processing. The fruit also preserves beautifully in jams, compotes, and canned preparations, where its flavor concentrates into something rich and complex. Many northern gardeners grow this variety specifically because it produces enough fruit to justify both fresh eating and preservation efforts.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Plant bare-root trees in early spring while still dormant, before bud break. Choose a location in full sun with well-draining soil. The OHxF 97 rootstock is hardy to zone 4, making spring planting in cold climates ideal to allow the tree to establish before winter arrives.
Pears mature in late summer to early fall depending on your specific location within zone 4. Watch for the green skin to shift toward golden tones, and test for ripeness by gently pressing near the stem end; the fruit should yield slightly to pressure when ready. Harvest by gently twisting or cutting the stem rather than pulling, as pears bruise easily. The medium-sized golden fruits with their distinctive orange blush are visually unmistakable at harvest.
Prune Harrow Sweet in late winter while still dormant, focusing on creating an open center to improve air circulation and light penetration. Remove any crossing branches or growth that crowds the canopy. The vigorous OHxF 97 rootstock can produce strong upright growth, so selective heading back of overly vigorous shoots helps establish a balanced framework. Regular pruning also makes harvesting the abundant fruit crop easier.
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“Harrow Sweet represents the careful work of Canadian horticulturists who selected and refined this pear variety for cold hardiness and consistent performance. The cultivar's development focused on breeding pears that could handle the rigorous winters of zone 4 climates while delivering superior flavor and heavy crops. Today, it's propagated and distributed by specialty growers like Full Circus Farm in upstate New York, who recognize its value as a tree that truly performs in northern gardens rather than merely surviving them.”