How to Grow Dates

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Days to germination: Seedlings are usually purchased
Days to harvest: 4 to 7 years
Light requirements: Full sun
Water requirements: Will tolerate dry conditions
Soil: Fertile and loose
Container: Not really ideal

Introduction

Dates are a very common fruit in the Middle East, and most crops are grown there or in northern Africa. The fruit is grown on a date palm tree, and it should be no surprise that they thrive only in hot dry climates. For North American growers, only zones 9 to 11 would be suitable for date palms. The most common variety is the Medjool date.

They are not the easiest trees to grow and harvest from, but growing your own dates can be a fun challenge if you enjoy trying new fruits in your garden. Just be prepared for a little more work than usual.

Dates are extremely nutritious, and have been an important food source for centuries. They are high in fiber and several B vitamins but low in calories.

Starting your Tree

Date palms are either male or female, and you will need one of each in order to have any fruit. If you want to grow several trees, you can get by with one male and any number of female trees. So when you plan out your locations for date palms, make sure you have room for at least 2 trees.

Because you need a male and female tree, people generally don’t start their trees from seed because you would never know what the gender will be for many years. Purchased seedlings are usually cuttings from an existing palm, so they should be properly labeled by their gender.

Choose a sunny location and plant as you would any other kind of tree, digging a hole large enough to hold the roots. Each tree will grow to more than 50 feet tall, and up to 30 feet across. If that is excessive, try a 10-foot dwarf variety.

As mentioned, you need 2 trees but because you will be pollinating by hand (see more on that in the next section), you don’t necessarily have to plant the trees next to each other if your space doesn’t allow it.

Tree Care

Dates are very slow growing trees, so don’t be discouraged if your trees aren’t doing very much each season. It’s easy to over-water a date palm, which will kill it. Regular rainfall is usually sufficient, unless it’s been dry for a prolonged period of time or your tree is still getting established.

Date palms are not pollinated by insects or birds, but by the wind. With only a few trees, you are taking a risk that nothing will pollinate and therefore will produce no fruit. That means part of your annual gardening routine will have to be hand-pollinating your date trees.

Early each year, the male trees will produce sheaths of pollen. You will have to collect it (it’s just a fine powder) and then dust it over the female flowers once your female trees are in bloom. Ask at the nursery where you get your trees for more details on this. It’s really not a difficult task.

Date palms will grow very long and sharp thorns or spines along its base, so either plant your trees somewhere away from regular walkways or cut the spines off as they grow. It won’t hurt the plant to snip them off.

Once your fruit starts to set, you will want to thin it out by picking some of the smaller fruits before they ripen. Otherwise, you will have a big harvest of tiny dates. It’s not uncommon to take out half or more of the growing dates to get a better final crop.

Containers

While dwarf varieties of date palm do exist that can grow in very large pots (half barrels or larger planters), it’s not a practical option. As mentioned, you will need to have 2 trees which may not be suitable if you are trying to grow in a small space.

Pests and Diseases

Most of the insect pests that attack the date palm are not found in North America, so anyone growing dates in America will probably find their trees to be fairly insect-free.

Birds, mice and squirrels can be a problem once the fruit starts to ripen though. Date farmers usually put mesh bags around the strands of dates so they can ripen without being stolen.

Harvest and Storage

You may have to wait until your date palm reaches 4 to 7 years of age before you start to see any fruit development. Dates don’t all ripen at once even within the same cluster of fruit, so you will have to harvest several times during the season. Each palm tree can produce 150 to 200 pounds of fruit each year, once it has matured to full capacity.

The are ripe when brown and soft, though they can be picked while still hard and left to ripe off the tree. If you have problems with birds eating the fruit, this may be a better option. Given the height of the tree, you will need ladders or other equipment to harvest once your palm reaches full size. Dwarf palms are more reasonable in this respect.

Fresh dates can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 weeks, or frozen for up to 4 months. For sweeter (and longer lasting) fruit, you should dry them rather than store fresh.

Before you dry them, you will have to slice each one open to remove the seed or pit. Most people just slice each date in half and dry them in 2 pieces. They can take a long time to dry, and should be dried in a proper dehydrator or the oven. The sun is not a reliable method for such thick fruit. It can take more than 20 hours to dry, and the dates will be soft and leathery when done.

Once dry, you can keep dates at room temperature in an airtight container for 6 months. Store that container in the fridge, and you’re good for a year.

24 Responses to “How to Grow Dates”

david Says:
August 21st, 2011 at 9:36 pm
Very good content. Thank you for the wonderful information.
elizabeth Says:
December 25th, 2011 at 3:55 am
hi purchaesd a date palm (small tree) they have no idea whether it is male or female how do i tell
elizabeth Says:
December 25th, 2011 at 4:01 am
hi i purchased a date palm. how do i tell the sex
denzel wassilchalk Says:
March 25th, 2012 at 11:30 am
want to grow dates in france an italy
Heather Mullaney Says:
August 27th, 2012 at 10:55 am
I have a date palm that I grew from a seed. It is about 12 years old. This year, it grew fruit. I only have one tree. By chance can it cross pollinate with other types of palms? Would the fruit be any good only having one tree?
Gary Taylor Says:
September 25th, 2012 at 5:36 pm
How many square feet of ground do I need for 2 trees, since I am bounf between walls and patios?
John Says:
May 21st, 2013 at 11:02 am
Thank you for the wealth of information, 1 point though I wish to know what temperatures are most ideal.?
Thank you
John
Jack M. Eoff Says:
July 9th, 2013 at 4:57 pm
Look for a penis on the tree!!
Kory Says:
July 21st, 2013 at 8:19 am
I HAVE GROWN A MEDJOOL DATE PALM FROM SEED IN CANADA. IT IS NOW 4 TO 5 YEARS OLD AND ABOUT 3 FEET TALL. I AM GROWING IT IN MY HOT HOUSE IN A POT. I HAVE ONLY RECENTLY LEARNED THAT I NEED BOTH A MALE AND FEMALE FOR POLLINATING ONCE IT BLOOMS. AS WE CANNOT ORDER PLANTS OF THIS TYPE INTO CANADA, MY ONLY OPTION IS TO TRY TO GERMINATE MORE SEEDS. IS THERE ANY WAY I CAN KNOW WHAT GENDER MY PLANT IS AND WHAT GENDER THE SEEDS WILL PRODUCE?
Ken Says:
August 27th, 2013 at 8:20 pm
I have two 25 foot female date palms in Las Vegas purchased from California 8 years ago when the trees were 18 feet tall. I’ve never pollinated either, however a neighbor has two males. Both of my trees have up to 15 pods each year full of fruit. Never ate them, however want to harvest them for eating. One is a Medjool. Is the sweetness or taste improved with pollinating?
Precious Says:
November 7th, 2013 at 3:06 am
My dates palm tree brears fruits but the fruits does not have seed inside what could be the reason and how can i improve the dates fruits to have seed?
Peter Dawson Says:
July 5th, 2014 at 6:52 am
I have just bought a date palm about 4 feet tall. I live in south of England and intend to plant it in a sheltered spot facing south. A neighbour has kept his alive and looking good through several bad winters and at 700 feet, so I’m optimistic.
Satya Says:
July 24th, 2014 at 12:26 am
Thanks for wealth of information
Kathryn Fleming Says:
October 27th, 2015 at 10:13 pm
I have a small palm tree in my front flower bed. This is the 1st year that I’ve seen dates on it. It’s 5 or 6 feet tall. I’m guessing that it’s around 5 years old. The dates are about as big as the 1st joint of my index finger.
I hope they’re edible. Everyone seems to want palm trees lately. I was surprised to find dates on the tree First there was a pod on it. That dried up and the dates grey on a different branch. I don’t know what kind of a palm tree it is.
Winston Solomon Says:
January 6th, 2016 at 5:50 pm
Very helpful information
Talhaa Says:
February 22nd, 2016 at 7:39 pm
Finally a good site!!! I have been trying to find good websites that tll me everything I need to know, Thnks A Ton! Keep us the good work
Tim Says:
June 18th, 2016 at 10:41 am
@Kory – regarding the gender of the plants, it is not possible to tell except using genetic methods or waiting. See this article http://www.natureasia.com/en/nmiddleeast/article/10.1038/nmiddleeast.2011.63
Sharon StJohn Says:
September 10th, 2016 at 10:50 am
How do you know which is male when your growing them from scratch.
Brenda Stefancik Says:
December 13th, 2016 at 6:27 pm
I just bought a new home with three palms in the front yard. They look exactly like date palms, but the fruit appears small. About the size of a medium marble, and most of that is the seed. Can anyone tell if they really are dates (possibly not pollinated?) or if they are some other palm? Two are female and one is male. I am really hoping they are dates that will change with polination, but I have heard there are other palm fruits that are mostly ornamental. Thanks
ORONO MOSES OKOT MABEMO Says:
August 24th, 2017 at 11:00 am
I grew seeds of dates and i am planning to transplant it from the containers to the grown. what should be the depth of the hole for planting, and how long does it take to start giving fruits. iam in Uganda and Karamoja region
ORYONO MOSES OKOT MABEMO Says:
August 24th, 2017 at 11:07 am
I planted seeds of dates i bought from supermarket last year in December in small containers. What should be the depth of the hole for transplantation, and how long does it take to mature and give fruits?
peter bialec Says:
September 16th, 2017 at 9:34 pm
thanks for information on growing dates. I plan on getting some soon but not found local supplier newcastle nsw australia
Randy Jamison Says:
December 30th, 2017 at 10:58 am
Dec 30 2017 Just planted 2 date seed in Kentucky we will see how it grows have 2 Orange Trees one 2 years old 20 inches tall other Orange Tree 6 inches tall the Lemon Tree is 8 inches tall growing in pots by the widow doing well in Kentucky.
nick vosnakis Says:
January 7th, 2019 at 3:27 am
Jan 7 2019 Hi I planted californian date seeds in pots IN ADELAIDE SOUTH AUSTRALIA and transplanted the 3 young trees when we moved into our new house about 7 years ago they are about 6 feet tall and seam healthy enough and I hope I have a pair I cant wait to see them flower and fruit Ive always loved palm trees. I LIVE IN HOPE.