Plum, Byron Gold, Bare Root

Plum, Byron Gold (Prunus salicina 'Byron Gold')

Byron Gold is a stunning, golden-fleshed Japanese-type plum developed by the USDA in Georgia for high productivity and disease resistance in warm, humid climates. This vigorous and upright tree produces medium to large round fruits with yellow skin and richly flavored amber flesh—sweet, juicy, and low in acidity, making it ideal for fresh eating and preserving. A reliable producer and standout in the orchard, Byron Gold is especially valuable in southeastern fruit tree guilds where brown rot is a concern.

Key Characteristics

• Excellent fruit for fresh eating and preserving
  Byron Gold’s fruit has a sweet, juicy flavor with firm amber flesh and minimal tartness, making it ideal for snacking, drying, or using in jams. The low-acid content gives it a mellow sweetness that’s especially enjoyable fresh off the tree.
• Disease resistance suited to warm, humid regions
  Bred specifically for Southeastern growers, this cultivar shows excellent resistance to bacterial spot and other common stone fruit diseases. It holds up well even in the high humidity of southern climates, making it a low-maintenance choice for organic and regenerative orchards.
• Heavy producer with early-season ripening
  Byron Gold is a vigorous tree that sets fruit reliably and early. Ripening in late May to early June in warm regions, it helps diversify harvest timing in a multi-variety orchard or food forest system, ensuring a longer fresh fruit season.
• Pollination partner required for fruit set
  While Byron Gold is not self-fertile, it is easily pollinated by other Japanese-type plums such as Methley, Santa Rosa, or AU Rosa. Cross-pollination increases fruit size and yield significantly, so interplanting with compatible cultivars is recommended.
• Ideal for food forests and orchard understory layers
  With its manageable size and early harvest, Byron Gold fits well into permaculture designs. It thrives in sunny clearings or the sunny edge of a food forest and combines beautifully with nitrogen-fixing shrubs, flowering herbs, and groundcover companions.

Product Details

• Sun requirements: Full sun
• Soil requirements: Medium to medium-wet, well-drained
• Bloom time: Mid-season
• Bloom color: White
• Fruit qualities: Medium to large size, yellow skin, amber flesh, sweet and low-acid
• Fruit uses: Fresh eating, drying, jam, preserves
• Fruit ripening month: Late May to early June (varies slightly by zone)
• Required chill hours: ~600
• Pollination requirements: Needs another Japanese-type plum such as Methley, AU Rosa, or Santa Rosa
• USDA Hardiness Zones: 5–9

With early ripening fruit, low disease pressure, and delicious golden flesh, Byron Gold brings reliable productivity and sweet flavor to home orchards, especially in the Southeast. A great cultivar to build succession harvests and diversify fruit tree guilds.