I’ve been searching this forum quite a bit lately trying to decide which half dozen apple trees I should add to my orchard and came across kinderkrisp. Someone said it was really good but it wasn’t otherwise mentioned at all. Anyone growing it? How does it compare to honeycrisp for flavor and texture? Hoping it is similar but still different, love honeycrisp just don’t need more than one tree of it. Is it decent as far as disease goes? Starks says it is. I know it’s a small apple similar to crabs which is fine in my book…
I see you didn’t get any replies on this. I have been curious too, as I planted 2 kinderkrisp on M7 this spring. I read some snippet on Gilby’s orchard site that it tastes similar to SweeTango but smaller - which is why I was interested since I love SweeTango but I guess it’s a club apple and can’t get it yet. That’s completely unverified of course, so I would be interested in anyone who has had a taste.
Did you end up planting one?
I never saw this post but I for one love Kinderkrisp. I picked up some apples from a nearby orchard last fall and fell in love with them. This last week on mothers day I visited a nursery that was selling bareroot trees so obviously I had to add one to my ever growing collection of trees.
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This is an old list of the Club apples. There are several more after 2014.
Want To Grow These Apples? You'll Have To Join The Club : The Salt : NPR.
I know that Kinderkrisp is smaller than Honeycrisp, but how small is it? Is it the size of Dolgo crabapple, or is it closer to medium-sized? I don’t really want another tiny apple in my collection. Thanks.
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Definitely bigger than dolgos. I’m not sure what you have had to compare to but the ones I’ve had are what I’d consider a small apple or a really big crabapple.
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Thanks, that’s helpful.
We have a Kinderkrisp and it is a wonderful little apple. We love the size which for comparison is larger than a Whitney Crab. The flavor is similar to Honeycrisp without the variability. It is always great! Good storage unless you have littles around😉
One season it experienced a small amount of blossom blight when we had the perfect weather conditions for that malady. The blister mites like this particular tree in our orchard. Don’t skip the dormant oil. It isn’t a heavy bearer but it is consistent. Ours is a dwarf from StarkBros.
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Yes! I love this apple tree. I bought it from Gurney’s five years ago after attempting to grow a Honeycrisp, only to have wild bunnies in our yard girdle the tree (the Honeycrisp was in the ground three years and would’ve borne a small harvest had it not died in situ). I bought the “LIL BIG” version of Kinderkrisp back when they were advertising them on sale for $19.99, along with a Pixie Crunch for about $30. The Kindercrisp bore fruit the second year in 2019 and in 2020, rather small harvests, but still enough to get through kids lunches. In 2021, we had a late freeze in May. Damaged all the blossoms and got just a handful of fruit. This year, however, I harvested 2 PECKS! And there’s still about a dozen apples on the tree, which I am leaving for the wildlife to consume (since some already have a head start. Lol).
As for the tree itself:
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It’s about 13 feet tall now with similar spread from drip line to drip line
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Bears lots of fruit for its size
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Most of the fruit about 2-2.25 inches in diameter (8-ball size)
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As crispy and sweet as Honeycrisp. Flavor profile is reversed (starts honey, with a hint of tart to finish)
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Ripens in late August, first peck was picked Aug. 30
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If picked a week or two later, even sweeter than Honeycrisp and still crispy; I picked a second peck 11 days later
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Because I grow organically, there was some insect damage (mostly hungry hornets, the occasional squirrel or oppossum).
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As someone else mentioned, hit with dormant oil (overwinter, as directed).
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As fruit ripens closer to harvest, spray with neem oil to keep most of the buggies away.
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You can also use those re-usable fruit bags (light green organza fabric) if looking to protect fruit for later harvest. I use the bags mainly to protect the the pixie crunch since it ripens two weeks to a month later (mid- to late- September), but can hang on the tree until first frost in October.
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In case anyone is wondering, the pollinator for both trees in my yard is a wild crabapple.
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