Jessaka,

Fruit trees blooms whenever warm weather (consistently above about 60-70) occurs after their required number of chilling hours have been met. Chilling hours are calculated using many methods and many definitions, but most commonly include all hours of temperatures above 32 degrees Fahrenheit and below either 45 or 60 degrees depending on who is counting.

The problem is that even when you plant fruit trees with the correct number of chilling hours recommended for Oklahoma, you have to deal with very erratic weather here and the chilling hours often are met in late fall and early winter. Then, an early warm spell sends the trees into early bloom. So, the best you can do is choose varieties with a high number of chilling hours and then hope and pray the weather is somewhat cooperative. In Oklahoma, most fruit trees with chilling hours of 850 or higher tend to do well, and sometimes varieties with fewer chilling hours produce well too.

Some fruit tree varieties are self-fruitful and some require pollinators, so if you are going to plant only one tree of any fruit type, Google the variety you want to plant before you buy it and make sure it is self-fruitful. Some varieties that normally produce fairly well in our state, and their number of chilling hours, if known, are listed below.

PLUM:
Methley (450)
Bruce
Ozark Premier (800)
Stanley (700)
Bluefre
President

PEACH:

Even with varieties that have the proper number of chilling hours, you'll be doing well if you get a good crop 1 year out of 3. It isn't just the late freezes that knock the fruit off the trees, but also hailstones and the occasional high winds around and over 45-50 degrees that can blow tiny fruit right off the trees.

Chilling Hours Unknown:

Earliglo
Early-Red-Fre
Autumnglo
White Hale
Autumn Gold

750 HOURS:
Loring
Fairtime

800 HOURS:
Bounty

850 HOURS:
Garnet Beauty
SweetHaven
Sentinel
Cullinan
GloHaven
JayHaven
CrestHaven
Jefferson

900 HOURS:
Rubired
Ranger
SummerPearl
Biscoe
Stark Encore
Parade

950 HOURS:
Candor
Clayton
RedHaven
Ouachita Gold

1050 HOURS:
Nectar
NewHaven

CHERRY TREES:
Montmorency (700)
Early Richmond (700)
Kansas Sweet
Northstar (800)
Meteor (800)
Stella (700)
Lapins (800)
Bing (700, or 900, depending on who you believe)

Finally, as far north as you are, you might find that some of the peach tree varieties often recommended for the colder parts of Texas might do well for you. Some folks here in southern Oklahoma plant some of these in an attempt to avoid the whole 'blooming too early' issue. They include:

Reliance (1000)
Surecrop (1000)
Harvester (750)
Redglobe (850)
Denman (800)
Belle of Georgia (white flesh) (850)
Dixieland (800)
Redskin (750)

All our fruit trees are early this year, and not just the non-native fruit trees we've planted, but the native plums
as well. You can chalk it up to our erratic weather. A couple of weeks ago we were in the mid-80s to lower 90s for several days here in southern OK. When that happens, the trees get the signal that "spring has arrived" even though it really hasn't and kick into bloom. There's really nothing you can do to prevent that type of weather-induced early bloom.

Dawn

thanks so much Dawn. My problem with plums is that I only like one kind. They are the dark ones in the stores that are juicy, full, and sweet and sour. Is that the Santa Rosa Plum? The red harder ones I don't care for. Are any of these plums like what I am talking about?

I am going to take this list with me and see about getting a cherry tree if the plum idea doesn't work.

Jessaka, go online (or ask for their catalogs),and read through "Starks" and "Raintree" Nurseries. It will open a whole new world to you on types and flavors and what is out there. Raintree has excellent pollination bloom charts that will give you a handle on what Dawn is saying. Then you can take that information shopping with you to the local store, or order from "Sooner Farms" or even order online or by phone if you fall in love with a flavor you can't find locally. I use them as a shopping guide first because the trees at Lowes, Atwoods, etc are always much bigger than the mail order ones. But I've sure ordered a lot of trees from both Starks and Raintree. They're very sweet, informed and have good quality stock. I guess I've just been fortunate, because I get fruit every year, although I haven't been able to get apricots (I heard there are some late blooming ones to try...so we'll see). There are huge peach orchards where I am and they have great crops every year (zone 6). Last year was a problem, but it was because of the drought. Variety of tree matters... so the tree with more chill hours (as Dawn said) will bloom later and give you better odds. What kind of fruit is only part of it. The other option is some of the fun bush type cherries and plums. Do pay heed to Dawn's warning about whether you will need one (self fruiting/self pollinating) or two (requires cross pollination) because if it requires cross pollinating, in some fruits, it has to have a similar bloom time or they can "miss" each other. And there are Japanese plums and European plums that don't cross pollinate. Enjoy reading the catalogs then ask Dawn again.