Nonpareil Almond
The most widely planted almond variety in the world, producing thin-shelled, sweet kernels with a smooth, light color prized for confections and snacking.
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Meet Nonpareil Almond
The most widely planted almond variety in the world, producing thin-shelled, sweet kernels with a smooth, light color prized for confections and snacking. Nonpareil requires a pollinizer variety and blooms very early, making it frost-sensitive in spring. Trees thrive in hot, dry summers with well-drained soil and minimal summer rainfall.
When to plant Nonpareil Almond
Nonpareil almond seeds germinate after cold stratification of 30-60 days in moist peat at 34-40°F. Almonds require less chilling than most stone fruits. Plant one inch deep in spring in well-drained potting mix. Seedlings grow rapidly and can be grafted the first year. For true Nonpareil, bud-graft onto Nemaguard, Lovell, or Krymsk peach-almond hybrid rootstock in August. Seedling-grown almonds will not be true to type.
Your Nonpareil Almond Year
Composed for Zone 7 · typical seasons · frost passes Apr 2, returns Nov 1
Sow Nonpareil Almond Jan – Feb, pick Aug – Sep. Set your climate below and every date on this plate re-times itself.
How to grow Nonpareil Almond
Nonpareil almond trees require full sun and well-drained, deep soil with pH 6.0-7.5. Plant bare-root trees in late winter, spacing 20-24 feet apart. Nonpareil is not self-fertile and requires a pollinizer variety such as Carmel, Aldrich, or Monterey planted within 50 feet. The tree blooms very early, often in February, making it extremely vulnerable to frost in all but the mildest climates.
Almonds need hot, dry summers and minimal summer rainfall for disease-free hull split and drying on the tree. Water deeply every 10-14 days during the growing season, but reduce irrigation in late summer to promote hull split. Train to an open vase shape with 3-4 scaffold branches. Almonds grow vigorously and need annual heading cuts to maintain manageable height.
Prune in late winter before bloom, removing crossing branches, water sprouts, and dead wood. Almonds fruit on spurs that produce for about 5 years, so maintain a balance of young and established spur wood. Apply nitrogen fertilizer in early spring and again after harvest. Monitor for navel orangeworm, the most serious pest in almond production, and maintain orchard sanitation by removing all mummy nuts.
Nonpareil Almond needs more room than a 4 × 8 ft bed gives
Each Nonpareil Almond wants 500 cm of elbow room. The planner keeps that spacing for you — every plant, every bed.
Nonpareil Almond's best neighbours
Almond orchards traditionally keep clean floors for harvest, so understory plantings are uncommon. Cover crops of legumes between rows fix nitrogen and can be mowed before harvest. Native wildflower strips along borders attract pollinators essential for the early bloom. Avoid planting near walnuts due to juglone toxicity. Bee-friendly plantings nearby support the honeybee colonies critical for almond pollination.
Keep Walnut Tree away from it.
Old growers' knowledge, checked against Nonpareil Almond's real companion table below — test any plant you're growing.
Related growing guides
Feed it well
Nonpareil almonds demand well-drained soil, as they are extremely intolerant of waterlogging. Sandy loam with pH 6.0-7.5 is ideal. Apply nitrogen fertilizer at 100-150 pounds per acre equivalent in split applications during spring and summer. Supplement with potassium and zinc, common deficiencies in almond orchards. Avoid high-salt irrigation water. Mulching is less common in almond culture; keep the orchard floor clean for harvest.
Ideal Temperature
Hardiness Zone Compatibility
From seed to harvest, stage by stage
Dormancy
The tree is fully dormant through winter. Internally, floral buds are completing the chilling requirement of 200–400 hours below 7°C (45°F). No visible growth occurs, but this cold accumulation is essential for uniform bloom.
Bloom
Floral buds swell and open into delicate white-pink blossoms before any leaf growth begins, typically in February in Mediterranean climates. This is the most frost-sensitive stage; even a brief drop to -2°C can destroy the crop.
Nut Set and Shell Hardening
Fertilized flowers develop into small green drupes. The embryo fills rapidly through spring, and by early summer the shell hardens around the developing kernel. Demand for water and nutrients peaks during this stage.
Hull Split
The outer hull splits open, revealing the hard shell beneath. Hull split begins in late July to mid-August for Nonpareil and progresses over 2–3 weeks. This signals that kernel dry weight is near maximum and harvest is approaching.
Harvest
When 95–100% of hulls have split, mechanical or manual shaking dislodges the nuts onto tarps or orchard floors. For home growers, a padded pole mallet works well. Nuts must be hulled and dried promptly to prevent mold.
Post-Harvest Recovery
After harvest, the tree redirects energy into root carbohydrate reserves and sets next year's floral buds. Leaf senescence begins in autumn and the tree re-enters dormancy. This period is critical for long-term tree health.
Apply dormant oil spray on a dry day above 4°C to smother overwintering mite eggs and scale insects. Avoid pruning until late dormancy to minimize disease entry points.
Caring for Nonpareil Almond month by month
What to do each month for your Nonpareil Almond
August
You are hereNo specific care tasks for this month.
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One email at the start of each month: what to sow, plant, and tackle right now — for your Nonpareil Almond and everything growing around it. Plus a short starter course that helps you dodge the classic mistakes.
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Harvesting Nonpareil Almond
Nonpareil almonds mature in late August to September, when the hulls split and begin to dry on the tree. Harvest when 90-95% of hulls have split open. Shake or knock nuts from the tree onto tarps or a swept orchard floor. Allow nuts to dry on the ground for 5-7 days in dry climates, or use mechanical drying. Remove the hull and dry in-shell nuts to 6-7% moisture for safe storage. A mature tree produces 25-50 pounds of in-shell nuts annually.
assuming you sow when the window opens — set your real date
Pick Nonpareil Almond promptly and the plant keeps producing.
Storage & Preservation
Dried, in-shell Nonpareil almonds store for up to a year in a cool, dry location. Shelled kernels keep 6-9 months in airtight containers, or up to a year frozen. Roast at 325°F for 12-15 minutes for enhanced flavor. Use in almond butter, almond milk, and marzipan. The thin shell and light color make Nonpareil the premium snacking and confection almond. Blanch by soaking in hot water to remove skins for baking.
What goes wrong — and the fix
Navel Orangeworm
PestLarvae inside nuts feeding on kernels, webbing and frass inside the shell, reject nuts at harvest.
Brown Rot
DiseaseBlossom blight killing flower clusters, twig dieback with gummy cankers, hull rot near harvest.
Shot Hole Disease
DiseaseSmall round holes in leaves where dead tissue drops out, occasional lesions on fruit hulls.
Troubleshooting Common Problems
Frost damage to the early February bloom is the greatest crop-loss risk for Nonpareil. Navel orangeworm infests nuts during hull split if sanitation is poor. Brown rot during wet bloom weather can kill flower clusters. Nonpareil's thin shell makes it more vulnerable to ant damage than hard-shell varieties. Hull rot from Monilinia or Rhizopus fungi causes stick-tights that harbor navel orangeworm.
Growing Tips
- Nonpareil is self-incompatible and cannot set fruit from its own pollen — always plant at least one compatible pollinizer variety (Carmel, Butte, Padre, or Mission) within 15–30 meters and ensure both trees bloom simultaneously.
- Choose a rootstock suited to your soil: Lovell or Nemaguard rootstocks perform well in well-drained sandy loams, while Marianna 2624 or Krymsk 86 offer better tolerance of heavy clay soils and wet winters.
- Almonds are highly drought-tolerant once established but produce significantly better yields with consistent deep irrigation during kernel fill (May–July); drip irrigation delivering 40–60 liters per tree per day in peak summer is ideal for home orchards.
- Frost protection during bloom is the single most important intervention you can make — even one night at -3°C can eliminate the entire crop. A simple overhead sprinkler system that runs continuously during frost events will protect blossoms through latent heat of freezing.
- Thin shoots aggressively in the first 3 years to establish a strong open-vase or modified central leader structure; almonds bear on 2–3-year-old spurs, so maintaining productive wood throughout the canopy requires removing 20–30% of older wood annually.
- Navel orangeworm is the most damaging pest of almonds in home and commercial settings; remove all mummy nuts (unharvested nuts from the previous season) from the tree and ground by February 1 each year, as these are the primary overwintering site.
- Shot hole disease (Wilsonomyces carpophilus) is the most common fungal problem in regions with wet winters; apply copper fungicide at leaf fall and again at green tip in late January before rain events to protect new tissue.
- Harvest timing is critical for quality: wait until at least 95% of hulls have split naturally, then complete harvest within 7–10 days. Delaying beyond this window increases mold risk and navel orangeworm infestation in open hulls.
- Dry freshly harvested almonds to below 6% moisture before storage — at higher moisture levels, kernels can develop Aspergillus mold which produces harmful aflatoxins. A dehydrator set to 43°C (110°F) for 12 hours is a reliable method for small batches.
- Store dried almonds in an airtight container in a cool, dark location; the high oil content makes almonds prone to rancidity when exposed to heat, light, or air. Refrigerated almonds keep for up to 2 years; frozen almonds keep indefinitely without flavor loss.
Grow your best Nonpareil Almond yet — and everything around it.
Start a free plan today. Lay out your beds, drop in your Nonpareil Almond, and let PlotMyGarden handle the timing, spacing, companions and reminders from seed to harvest basket.
Pick your Nonpareil Almond
Nonpareil (Standard)
The industry standard almond with thin, papery shell, light kernel color, and sweet, mild flavor.
Carmel
A primary Nonpareil pollinizer with smaller, harder-shelled nuts and slightly later bloom timing.
Aldrich
A Nonpareil-type almond with similar kernel quality and an overlapping bloom period for pollination.
Monterey
A later-blooming pollinizer for Nonpareil with larger nuts and good disease resistance.
A single mature Nonpareil almond tree producing 30–40 pounds of in-shell nuts annually yields roughly 15–20 pounds of shelled kernels. At current retail prices of $12–18 per pound for premium raw Nonpareil almonds, a single tree represents $180–360 in annual grocery value. A pair of trees (required for cross-pollination) costs $60–100 to plant and begins producing within 3–4 years, reaching full production by year 7. Over a 25-year productive lifespan, two trees can save a household $8,000–18,000 in grocery costs — without counting the additional value of homemade almond butter, almond milk, and almond flour that would otherwise cost $6–12 per pound or more at specialty retailers.
Quick recipes
Honey-Roasted Nonpareil Almonds
20 minutesA simple stovetop method that coats fresh-harvest Nonpareil almonds in raw honey and flaky salt, producing a glossy, lightly caramelized snack with no refined sugar needed.
5 ingredientsFresh Almond Milk
10 minutes (plus 8 hours soaking)Soaking freshly harvested Nonpareil almonds overnight and blending them with filtered water produces a clean, subtly sweet milk far superior in flavor to any commercial product, with no stabilizers or additives.
5 ingredientsRomesco Sauce
15 minutesThis classic Catalan sauce built on roasted Nonpareil almonds, fire-roasted peppers, and tomato is extraordinary on grilled vegetables, fish, or spread on toasted sourdough. The buttery character of Nonpareil almonds gives the sauce a particularly smooth finish.
8 ingredientsCulinary Uses
Nonpareil almonds are the premium snacking almond, with their light color, mild sweetness, and smooth texture. They are essential for marzipan, almond paste, and fine confections. Use for almond butter, almond milk, and almond flour for gluten-free baking. Toast for salads and grain bowls. The thin shell makes them ideal for blanching and slivering for pastry decoration.
What's inside
Health Benefits
- Regular almond consumption is associated with reduced LDL cholesterol levels and improved LDL particle size, both markers of lower cardiovascular disease risk, primarily due to their high monounsaturated fat and phytosterol content.
- Almonds are one of the richest whole-food sources of alpha-tocopherol vitamin E, a fat-soluble antioxidant that protects cell membranes from oxidative damage and may reduce chronic inflammation.
- The combination of fiber, protein, and healthy fat in almonds produces strong satiety signals, and multiple clinical trials have found that including almonds in the diet does not lead to weight gain and may actually support weight management.
- Almonds provide significant magnesium, a mineral involved in over 300 enzymatic reactions including blood sugar regulation; studies suggest regular consumption can improve insulin sensitivity in people at risk for type 2 diabetes.
- The prebiotic fiber in almonds, including fructooligosaccharides and resistant starch, feeds beneficial gut bacteria including Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus species, contributing to a more diverse and resilient microbiome.
- Almonds contain manganese and phosphorus critical for bone matrix formation, and their combination of calcium and magnesium in a well-absorbed plant-food form makes them a useful dietary contributor to long-term skeletal health.
Where Nonpareil Almond comes from
The almond (Prunus dulcis) traces its origins to the mountain foothills of Central Asia and the Middle East, where wild forms still grow across a broad arc from Turkey through Iran to Pakistan. Archaeological evidence places almond cultivation among the earliest documented instances of deliberate horticulture: charred almond shells have been recovered from Neolithic settlements in the Jordan Valley dating to roughly 3000 BCE, and intact almonds placed as grave offerings were found in the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, who died around 1323 BCE.
The Phoenicians and Greeks spread almond cultivation throughout the Mediterranean basin, carrying trees to Greece, Italy, and Spain centuries before the Common Era. Roman agricultural writers including Pliny the Elder and Columella described the almond as a prized orchard crop, and the tree became deeply embedded in Mediterranean food culture, medicine, and religious symbolism. Almonds appear numerous times in the Hebrew Bible, including the almond rod of Aaron and the almond-shaped decorations on the Menorah.
Spanish Franciscan missionaries introduced almonds to California in the mid-18th century, planting trees at the coastal missions beginning around 1769. Early coastal cultivation was hampered by the cool, foggy summers of the California coast, but as settlers moved inland to the Central Valley, they discovered that the hot, dry summers and mild winters of the region were almost perfectly suited to almond production.
The Nonpareil variety itself was developed in California in the 1870s, selected from open-pollinated seedlings for its exceptionally thin shell, smooth papery skin, and superior kernel quality. By the early 20th century it had become the dominant commercial variety, a position it has never relinquished. Today Nonpareil sets the global benchmark for almond quality: its kernels are used as the standard by which all other varieties are graded and priced on international commodity markets, from the processing plants of Sacramento to the confectionery houses of Turin and the almond milk factories of Europe and Asia.
Nonpareil Almond: did you know?
Fascinating facts about Nonpareil Almond
The name 'Nonpareil' is French for 'without equal' — a title given to this variety in the late 19th century because no other almond matched its combination of thin shell, smooth kernel, and delicate flavor.
Nonpareil Almond questions, answered
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Do I need two almond trees to get almonds?
Why did my almond tree bloom but produce no nuts?
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Can I grow a Nonpareil almond tree in a pot or container?
What is the difference between Nonpareil almonds and regular almonds at the grocery store?
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From the “When to plant” sectionDrag-and-drop bed planner
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From the “Growing guide” sectionCompanion conflicts, caught early
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From the “Companions” sectionReminders you'll actually act on
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From the “Harvest” sectionSuccession, scheduled
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From the “When to plant” sectionA record that gets smarter
Every harvest you log teaches it your garden. Next year's plan starts from what actually worked in your soil, not a textbook's.
From the “Overview” sectionMore Stone Fruits
Keep Nonpareil Almond away from these
Grow your best Nonpareil Almond yet — and everything around it.
Start a free plan today. Lay out your beds, drop in your Nonpareil Almond, and let PlotMyGarden handle the timing, spacing, companions and reminders from seed to harvest basket.