Earli Autumn stretches apricot season into a time when most varieties are already a memory. Its large golden-orange fruit ripens with sweet, flavorful flesh late in summer, bringing the fragrance and sunny character of an apricot to the orchard well after the usual early-season rush. The fruit is delicious fresh and plentiful enough for drying, preserves, and baking, making the delayed harvest both novel and genuinely useful. In spring, the tree still offers the classic apricot display of blossoms, but its crop waits until August to reach the table. That unusual timing makes Earli Autumn especially valuable in a mixed planting: pair it with earlier varieties and the orchard can provide apricots across a much broader season. Gardeners who enjoy planning successive harvests will appreciate this tree as both a flavorful producer and an elegant solution to the brief traditional apricot window.
Plant in full sun and well-drained soil. Citation rootstock produces a semi-dwarf tree that is manageable for home orchards. Maintain an open canopy with annual pruning, thin heavy fruit sets, and provide steady moisture through the longer development period.
Earli Autumn is self-fruitful and can bear on its own. Another compatible apricot flowering nearby can encourage more pollinator activity, may improve set, and is particularly useful for creating an extended sequence of harvests.
Earli Autumn Apricot Tree Details
Fruit: Large golden-orange apricots
Flavor and texture: Sweet, flavorful, juicy flesh
Best uses: Fresh eating, drying, baking, and preserves
Harvest: August
USDA zones: 7–9
Chill hours: 500 hours or less
Tree size: Semi-dwarf on Citation rootstock
Rootstock: Citation
Pollination: Self-fruitful; another compatible apricot can be beneficial
Recommended pollinizers or companions: Pair with an earlier variety such as Gold Kist, Katy, or Harcot
Special care: Full sun, excellent drainage, annual pruning, and steady moisture through the late-ripening season
Something special: Earli Autumn is remarkable for ripening in August, extending the apricot harvest long after most varieties finish.
