Chill Hour Checker

Check if your favorite fruit trees will thrive in your climate. Enter your zip code to see if you get enough winter chill hours.

Select Variety & Location

Currently supports US zip codes only

Results

Select a variety and enter your zip code to check compatibility

Browse All Varieties

Apple

Anna 200h Braeburn 700h Cortland 800h Cosmic Crisp 800h Dorsett Golden 100h Empire 800h Fuji 400h Gala 500h Golden Delicious 700h Granny Smith 400h Honeycrisp 800h Jonagold 700h McIntosh 900h Pink Lady (Cripps) 400h Red Delicious 700h

Asian Pear

Hosui 450h Shinseiki 400h

Cherry (Sweet)

Bing 700h Lapins 400h Rainier 700h Stella 400h

Cherry (Tart)

Montmorency 700h

Citrus

Meyer Lemon 0h Owari Satsuma 0h

Fig

Brown Turkey 100h Chicago Hardy 100h

Pawpaw

Pawpaw (Shenandoah) 400h Pawpaw (Sunflower) 400h

Peach

Belle of Georgia 800h Contender 1050h Elberta 800h Florida King 400h O'Henry 750h Redhaven 800h Reliance 1000h

Pear

Bartlett 800h Bosc 800h D'Anjou 800h Kieffer 350h

Persimmon (Asian)

Fuyu 200h Hachiya 200h

Persimmon (Native)

American Persimmon 800h

Plum

Methley 150h Santa Rosa 300h

Plum (European)

Stanley 800h

What Are Chill Hours?

Chill hours are the number of hours a fruit tree needs to experience temperatures between 32°F and 45°F (0°C to 7°C) during winter dormancy. This cold exposure triggers the tree to break dormancy and bloom properly in spring.

Without enough chill hours, fruit trees may experience:

  • Delayed, weak, or uneven leafing out
  • Poor or no fruit set
  • Reduced fruit quality and size
  • Overall decline in tree health

Different varieties have different chill requirements — from as low as 100 hours for subtropical varieties like Dorsett Golden apple, to over 1000 hours for cold-climate varieties like Contender peach.

How This Tool Works

1. Select Your Variety

Choose from our database of popular fruit tree varieties, each with verified chill hour requirements from university extension services.

2. Enter Your Zip Code

We use your location to look up historical weather data from the Open-Meteo API, calculating average winter chill hours for your area.

3. Get Your Results

See whether your location typically receives enough chill hours, along with recommendations and alternative varieties if needed.

Typical Chill Hours by Region

Northern States

1000-1500+ hours

Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New England

Mid-Atlantic & Midwest

800-1200 hours

Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois

Upper South

500-800 hours

Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina

Deep South & Gulf Coast

200-500 hours

Florida, Louisiana, South Texas

Pacific Northwest

800-1200 hours

Washington, Oregon (varies by elevation)

California

200-1000 hours

Varies widely: coast vs. Central Valley vs. mountains

Growing Fruit in Low-Chill Areas

If you live in a warm climate with limited chill hours, you can still grow delicious fruit! Here are some strategies:

Choose Low-Chill Varieties

Many fruit types have varieties bred specifically for warm climates. Anna and Dorsett Golden apples, Florida King peach, and Stella cherry are excellent choices.

Consider Tropical Alternatives

Citrus, figs, and persimmons have very low or no chill requirements and thrive in warm climates where traditional stone fruits struggle.

Use Microclimates

North-facing slopes, shaded areas, and higher elevations can accumulate more chill hours than surrounding areas.

Try Container Growing

Dwarf fruit trees in containers can be moved to cooler locations (garage, shade) during winter to accumulate more chill.

Related Tools

Plan Your Garden

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Plan Your Orchard with Leaftide

Log pruning, spraying, and harvests. See what you did last season. All your trees in one place.

Start Tracking Free →

Data Sources

Chill hour calculations use historical weather data from the Open-Meteo Historical Weather API.

Variety chill requirements are compiled from university extension services including UC Davis, University of Florida IFAS, and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension.