How to Grow Almonds

By the SoilCommander Editorial Team, under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder · · How we check our facts

On this page
  1. Almond (Prunus dulcis)
  2. Quick Facts
  3. At a Glance
  4. Diseases
  5. Pests
  6. Soil & Growing Conditions
  7. Growth Stages
  8. Harvest & Storage
  9. Plan your Almonds planting
  10. Growing Almond in another region
  11. Sources
  12. Frequently Asked Questions

Plant almonds in a sheltered, full-sun spot with well-drained soil — ideally on a gentle slope so cold air drains away on frosty nights — and set out a second, different almond cultivar (or a compatible, simultaneously-flowering peach) alongside it, since almond isn't self-fruitful and a lone tree won't produce a crop.

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.

Almond (Prunus dulcis)

Almond kernels next to their shells — “Almonds - in shell, shell cracked open, shelled, blanched” by Ivar Leidus is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

2 sources cited · Verified

Quick Facts

An almond tree in full blossom
An almond tree in full blossom. Photo: “Prunus amygdalus - Gimmeldingen 03” by H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Factor Value
Drainage Moist but well-drained; won't tolerate wet soils (RHS; USU). Tolerates chalk, loam and sand (RHS).
Lifecycle Deciduous stone-fruit tree, a close cousin of peaches and nectarines but less cold-hardy (USU). Not self-fruitful: RHS and USU both state a second, different almond cultivar is needed for cross-pollination, moved by insects (honeybees per USU); USU adds that a compatible, simultaneously-flowering peach can also supply pollen. USU: winter cold below -10°F can damage fruit buds, below -20°F damages wood, and spring temperatures below 28°F during or after flowering damage the blossom -- a real, specific set of thresholds rather than a vague frost warning.
Edible parts nuts
Documented problems 9 diseases, 9 pests

At a Glance

Developing green almonds on the branch
Developing green almonds on the branch. Photo: “24-05-2017 Unripe fruits of an almond tree (Prunus dulcis) (2)” by Kolforn, CC BY 3.0.
Prunus dulcis Almond Cytospora canker Silver leaf Almond leaf scorch Phytophthora root rot Coryneum (shot hole) bl… Bacterial canker (Prunu… Brown rot (stone fruit) Peach leaf curl Honey fungus Birds (fruit) Rabbits Aphids European fruit tree red… Peach twig borer Greater peachtree borer Caterpillars Mice Deer DISEASES PESTS

Diseases

A hillside row of blossoming almond trees
A hillside row of blossoming almond trees. Photo: “Prunus amygdalus - Gimmeldingen 04” by H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Cytospora canker
low

Cytospora spp.

Named directly by USU ("Cytospora Canker").

Silver leaf
moderate

Chondrostereum purpureum

Almond leaf scorch
moderate

Xylella fastidiosa

RHS names almond directly as "a high risk host for xylella fastidiosa" -- a serious biosecurity/quarantine caution rather than a currently widespread UK problem; kept honest and stated plainly rather than omitted. USU…

Phytophthora root rot
low

Named directly by USU ("Phytophthora Rot"); species not specified by USU so left at genus level.

Coryneum (shot hole) blight
moderate

Wilsonomyces carpophilus

Named directly by USU ("Coryneum Blight") as a shared peach/apricot disease that also affects almond.

Bacterial canker (Prunus)
moderate

Pseudomonas syringae pv. morsprunorum

Named directly by RHS (bacterial canker).

Brown rot (stone fruit)
moderate

Monilinia laxa

Named directly by RHS (brown rot).

Peach leaf curl
moderate

Taphrina deformans

Named directly by RHS (peach leaf curl).

Honey fungus
low

Armillaria spp.

Named directly by RHS (honey fungus).

Pests

A row of blossoming almond trees in an orchard
A row of blossoming almond trees in an orchard. Photo by Davidbena, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Birds (fruit)
low

Aves

Named directly by RHS.

Rabbits
low

Oryctolagus cuniculus

Named directly by USU alongside mice as bark-damaging small animals over winter; trunk guards recommended.

low

Aphididae (various spp.)

Named directly by RHS.

European fruit tree red spider mite
low

Panonychus ulmi

Named directly by USU (as "European Red Mite").

Peach twig borer
moderate

Anarsia lineatella

Named directly by USU as a shared peach/apricot pest that also affects almond.

Greater peachtree borer
moderate

Synanthedon exitiosa

Named directly by USU (as "Greater Peach Tree Borer") as a shared peach/apricot pest that also affects almond.

Caterpillars
low

Lepidoptera larvae

Named directly by RHS.

Mice
low

Muridae (mice, various spp.)

Named directly by USU alongside rabbits as bark-damaging small animals over winter.

Deer
low

Cervidae

Named directly by USU: deer eat shoot tips in late winter/early spring and can rub bark off the trunk.

Soil & Growing Conditions

An almond tree growing on a rocky site
An almond tree growing on a rocky site. Photo: “Dayr Aban Almond Tree” by Ariel Palmon, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Water: USU: mature trees benefit from less frequent, deeper irrigation -- water long enough to penetrate to 1ft depth, then let the soil dry for several days before watering again; shallow, frequent turfgrass-style irrigation is not ideal. Newly planted trees: 3-5 gallons per watering for the first few weeks.

Growth Stages

Close-up of pink almond blossom
Close-up of pink almond blossom. Photo: “Prunus amygdalus - Gimmeldingen 02” by H. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Stage BBCH Notes
Site selection and planting 0 Full sun and shelter, well-drained soil (RHS; USU). USU: choose a gentle slope so cold air drains away on cold nights; dig the hole wider than deep, keep the graft union 2-3in above the final soil line, and water immediately after planting. Trees are free-standing and don't need staking (USU).
Framework training and early pruning 3 USU: cut an unbranched young tree back to 30-36in at planting to force branching; on a branched tree, remove growth below about 30in and keep 4-6 evenly spaced branches to form a permanent scaffold whorl at 30-40in. RHS's pruning group 1 calls for only light, formative pruning afterward -- prune in mid-summer if silver leaf disease is present. Heavy pruning later removes the 1-year-old wood that carries flower buds and pushes the tree into vegetative water-sprout growth instead (USU).
Flowering and pollination 6 Blossoms very early -- both sources flag frost as the main risk to a crop. RHS notes flowers may need protection in vulnerable UK sites; USU gives it as hard thresholds: temperatures below 28°F during or after flowering damage the blossom and prevent fruiting, and young trees can be tarped on frosty nights (cover around sunset once air temperature is above 34°F, remove as it rises past freezing in the morning). Not self-fruitful: needs pollen from a different almond cultivar, or a compatible peach flowering at the same time, moved by insects such as honeybees (RHS; USU).
Establishment care 3 USU: don't allow fruit to set for the first three years -- let the tree put its energy into bearing wood instead. Heavy nitrogen feeder: roughly 1oz of actual nitrogen per tree per year of tree age (not exceeding 1/2lb/tree/year), spread evenly under the dripline. Water deeply but infrequently once established, letting the soil dry between waterings.
Fruiting and harvest 8 USU: don't expect a harvest for 4-6 years after planting. Leave nuts to mature and dry on the tree -- picked too early they are milky and damp -- then harvest by hand or by shaking branches. Remove the husk and store airtight in a dry place; shelled kernels keep indefinitely frozen.

Harvest & Storage

Almond kernels next to their shells
Almond kernels next to their shells. Photo by Ivar Leidus, CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to pick: USU: leave nuts to mature and dry on the tree -- harvested too early they are milky and damp. Harvest by hand or by shaking branches so nuts fall.

Storage

USU: remove husks once harvested; store in a dry environment, airtight to slow oxidation of the oils; shelled kernels can be frozen indefinitely.

Plan your Almonds planting

Timing for Almonds follows soil temperature and frost, not the calendar date. The Global vegetable planting calendar explains the method. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.

Growing Almond in another region

Planting dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.

Sources

The full list of 2 sources behind this guide (Royal Horticultural Society, Utah State University Extension) is in the references of our UK guide to almonds; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What problems affect almonds?

Our data links 9 diseases and 9 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.

Plan next season before the problems start

This page gives you the thresholds; the planner turns them into your own calendar. It works from what you can observe and measure in your garden rather than from dates written for somebody else’s latitude.

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SoilCommander Editorial Team — under the guidance of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder

Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing. How we check our facts.

How this guide is put together

The growing data on this page — planting windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against international horticultural research and extension sources. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.

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Last verified 2026-09-04

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