Quince

At one time, every Maine dooryard had a quince, a small tree with large tan or yellowish aromatic fruit with mild light yellow flesh. The fragrance is so intoxicating that just having a bowl of ripe fruit on the table might distract you from getting around to cooking them! Large lovely white to pink flowers—not to be confused with the small-fruited Chaenomeles, Flowering Quince. The wood of mature trees becomes impressively gnarled and twisted. Quince are native to Asia.

Great in stews and preserves. Makes a fragrant orangey-pink jelly—unlike anything we’ve tasted. Sometimes added to hard cider. We asked longtime Fedco friend Aktan Askin, who grew up in Turkey, the world’s largest quince producer, what he most loves about the fruit: “I love the sound a big, fully ripe quince makes as it falls off the tree and hits the ground. So solid. So invincible. Thunk! But that aside, I really just love eating fresh quince with a spoon. Carving little balls out and chewing to juice them in my mouth.”

Ripens in October in central Maine; may not ripen in coldest areas. Susceptible to fireblight and apple borers. Self-fruitful but planting more than one will give better yields. Native to Asia.

Trees reach 10–25' at maturity.

Growing Quince

• Soil: Prefers well-drained fertile soil.
• Sun: Full.
• Pollination: Self-fruitful, but plant more than one for better yields.
• Spacing: 15–20' apart
• Planting and Pruning: Prune like an apple tree, and protect young trunks from apple borers. See our planning and planting and pests and diseases pages for more information about soil prep, planting, pruning, and pest control.