In this guide, we’ll show you the three steps you need to plant fruit trees in Animal Crossing.
3 Steps to Plant Fruit Trees
Step 1: Ready Your Shovel
Planting in Animal Crossing requires a tool, and the tool we need for this task is a Shovel.
Your pocket or inventory has limited space, but it’s always recommended that you have a Shovel or two with you at all times.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Get the Tool Ring upgrade from your Nook Stop. It lets you quickly hold a number of tools with your D-pad.
Where To Get a Shovel
Here’s a quick refresher for old and new players. For Island Representatives or player one, you get the Flimsy Shovel recipe from Blathers.
This is during his first day on the island, and he’ll give you this and the Vaulting Pole recipe as well.
For secondary players or player two, you can grab a Flimsy Shovel recipe from Timmy or your Nook’s Cranny.
Most basic and beginner recipes should be available at your Cranny or Nook Stop.
To craft a Flimsy Shovel, you need five Hardwood pieces.
From the name itself, the Flimsy Shovel is the flimsiest and easiest to break among the shovels in the game. It will break after 40 uses.
Different Kinds of Shovels
Now you know where to get the Flimsy Shovel. How about other shovels?
For a sturdier one, get the Pretty Good Tools DIY Recipe from your Nook Stop to craft a Shovel. This recipe set costs 3000 Miles, so make sure you have enough Miles for it!
TIP: To gather Miles quickly, do Miles+ tasks, especially ones with a multiplier!
You can also buy pre-made or ready-to-use shovels from Nook’s Cranny.
These shovels, like the Colorful Shovel, have designs on them. They have a durability of 100, just like regular Shovels.
Lastly, there’s a special shovel that you can only get after doing something specific.
SPOILER: It’s called the Golden Shovel, and you’ll get its recipe after helping Gulliver 30 times. You will need one Shovel and one Golden Nugget to craft it, and it’ll break after 200 uses.
Step 2: Ready the Fruit(s) You Want to Plant
We can’t plant with a Shovel alone. We need fruit! Or lots of fruits if you want to start an orchard!
When you start on your island, you should have one kind of fruit already. This is called your native fruit.
Different Kinds of Fruits
In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, there are a total of six fruits. There are pear, apple, orange, peach, cherry, and coconut.
There are 13 fruits in all of the games, but for some reason, Nintendo decided to just have six this time.
Have It in Your Pocket
Make sure your fruits are in your pocket when you want to start planting. To get fruits from trees, just face a tree and press ‘a’ to shake.
The fruits should drop to the ground. To pick them up, press ‘y’ on your controller.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The dropped fruits could disappear into the void if there are no vacant tiles near the tree.
Step 3: Dig a Hole and Get Your Fruit
Got your Shovel? How about your fruit? If you’re all good, let’s start planting!
Take out your Shovel and make your character hold it.
Press ‘x’ to open your pocket, go to your Shovel with your D-pad or left joystick, and press ‘a’ to choose ‘Hold’ – you should now be holding your Shovel.
Go to the area or ground where you want to plant. Press ‘a’ to dig a hole. If you press ‘a’ again, you will cover the hole with soil, so don’t do that.
Don’t put away your Shovel as well.
Face the hole and open your pockets with the ‘x’ button. Go to the fruit you want to plant, press ‘a’, and pick ‘Plant 1’.
You should see your Animal Crossing character plant that fruit!
IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure there is enough space for your fruit tree to grow. There should be one tile free in every direction around your sapling.
Planting Fruit FAQ
How Long Does It Take for Fruit To Grow in Animal Crossing?
It will take five days for your fruit tree to fully grow and bear fruit.
Can You Plant Fruit Trees Anywhere in Animal Crossing?
No. You need one tile of space around a tree. Coconuts grow on sand, and other fruits require regular soil.
Where To Get Other Fruits in Animal Crossing?
Unfortunately, you cannot get all the fruits without trading with other players. Without trading, you can get 4 out of 6 fruits.
You will have your native fruit, another fruit sent by your mom in the game, your sister fruit that you can find through Mystery Islands or from your villagers, and Coconuts, which are also from Mystery Islands.
What Can You Do With Fruits in Animal Crossing?
You can eat or use them for crafting and cooking. You eat them to shovel trees and destroy rocks.
You use them as crafting materials for fruit furniture and clothes.
Thanks to an update, you can now use them for cooking as well!
And that’s the basics of planting fruit trees in Animal Crossing! All you need is some fruit and a shovel, and you can turn your island into an orchard.
Unfortunately, it’s not that easy to get all the fruits in the game, but if you reach out to some Animal Crossing communities, I’m sure they will be eager to help. Happy planting!