Stanley Plum

Prunus domestica 'Stanley'

fruit

Stanley is the classic European prune-plum: dark blue-purple oval fruit, sweet golden-yellow freestone flesh, and a high sugar content that dries down beautifully into homemade prunes. The tree is self-fertile, extremely cold-hardy to minus 30F, and one of the most reliable plum varieties for the home grower.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Chives — Repels aphids and discourages curculio when planted at the drip line
• Comfrey — Chop-and-drop mulch returns potassium to surface roots
• Yarrow — Attracts parasitic wasps that prey on plum curculio and aphids
• Daffodils — Spring bulbs ring the trunk and deter voles and rabbits

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Plum curculio →

  Apply kaolin clay at petal fall, jar the trunk at dawn over a sheet to dislodge weevils, and pick up early drops twice a week

• Black knot →

  Cut out swollen black galls 4 in below the knot in dormant season and dispose off-site; remove wild Prunus host trees nearby

• Brown rot →

  Prune for airflow, remove all mummies before bloom, and pick fruit before it softens on the branch

• Aphids →

  Encourage ladybugs and lacewings; blast colonies with a sharp water spray and avoid heavy nitrogen

🌾 Harvest & storage

Stanley plums ripen in late August through early September, near Labor Day in most regions. Wait for the fruit to turn deep blue-purple with a soft waxy bloom and feel slightly yielding to gentle thumb pressure. Pick with the stem on for fresh eating, or pit and dehydrate at 135F for 18 to 24 hours to make homemade prunes.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

About 46 calories per 100 g fresh with 1.4 g fiber, 9.5 mg vitamin C, and 157 mg potassium. Dried prunes from Stanley fruit are a well-known source of soluble fiber and sorbitol, which support digestive regularity.

⚠️ Toxicity & safety

Eat the flesh, not the pit. The kernel inside the pit contains amygdalin, a cyanide-releasing compound - discard the pits and never eat or crush the seeds inside.