I received some GoldRush scions last month, and doubt it can ever ripen in the short growing season of Spokane. Someone wrote it requires 180 days. True?
We have plenty of days for it to ripen in my location. I have seen others post that the Goldrush can take low 20s weather which might give you enough days as it ripens but this is just a warm weather guy speculating. Good luck, Bill
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I wouldn’t try here in Mizzou, but I think you might have a chance of at least getting it some years. (Heck, the way things are going you may be growing almonds eventually!) I’ve ripened Rhode Island Greening and that’s not supposed to be possible, so go ahead and try.
Dbens used to post on the GW board but I don’t think he migrated here- he’s a little north of you and has lots of stuff . If you get a chance to meet him see what he thinks.
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I remember I saw Goldrush being sold in Canada and just found it now again after a short search. I am sure you will be fine
http://www.whiffletreefarmandnursery.ca/pdf/Whiffletree_Catalogue.pdf
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I’ll let you know in a year or two! In zone 4/5 I have heard that people usually leave hanging until november after a couple good frosts.
Read here for more:
Ontario is actually an easier climate in that the number of chill hours - between 32 and 45F - are fewer than here, You may get wider (and wilder) variation in temperature through a season, but not the steady cold we live with. It keeps many things sleepy late into what is already spring elsewhere. I saw the first crocuses begin to emerge Sunday. No flowers yet.
2015 was a record year: 172 days between frosts. 150 days is not unusual, which is why I wonder about GoldRush. If someone is reluctant to try it in Missouri, that only strengthens my reservations.
There are plenty of other apples worth trying here that ripen earlier.
On the other hand, I have Medaille d’Or, which is quite a gamble, as it blooms so late. It may not ever ripen, in which case I’ll top work it to Campfield. High sugars help to keep 'em going through some frost.
Thank you all for your input!
Hmm… I looked at the growing degree days map for E. WA and it looks to be about the same as us in Iowa. You most certainly get more sun than us. Though we average about 175 frost-free days a year and about 195 days to 28F, so sounds like a longer season here.
The local u-pick has sold GoldRush for a while, and the current owner (from a MI apple growing family) has doubled down on GR for its cider qualities. They currently make hard cider of several different “flavors” with GR as a base. So it doesn’t sound like a marginal variety in East-Central Iowa, let alone MO. Not sure about E. WA…
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Are you going by my “Mizzou”? That’s local talk for Missoula, Montana- I’m just a three hour trip east from Spokane, and quite a bit higher in elevation.
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I got a really nice crop of Goldrush this year in zone 5A, northern Pennsylvania. I had them grow before and I did make use of them, though they didn’t fully mature. This year they did. I had a pie this weekend from the Goldrush crop and it was fantastic. I don’t know that I’d consider it a reliable cropper here, but it’s a rock star in other ways and probably worth a try if you have the room to take the risk.
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My goldrush hung until mid nov in mid central Ia. Ate the last one a week ago. Hadn’t mellowed all that much, plenty of acid!
I’ve made that trek a number of times. Should have taken a clue from your avatar: Mark in MT. Thanks.
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If you ripen Braeburn there, Goldrush is no later. In fact you can probably ripen Goldrush in places with too short a season for Brae, if only because Goldrush’s extremely high brix and hard texture makes it immune to frosts above about 20 or so. I can usually wait until mid-Nov to pick it here in my cusp of 5 Z6. It actually takes longer to ripen Granny Smith to where it tastes like a great apple to me- but Washington growers harvest it too early to my palate.
Full sun and an open training method with some summer pruning also helps.
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Your “easier climate” comment made me smile. Never heard that in comparison of Washington state vs Eastern Canada. Especially with crocuses leaving the ground last Sunday for you. Here it was -23C (-9.4F) on Saturday. Just got 20-40cm of snow yesterday in parts. Still had 2 feet of snow on the ground before this last fall.
This website lists 153 growing days for Spokane.
148 days for Ottawa and I am a bit colder than that.
I’ve heard of people getting Goldrush so I am trying anyways. Here crocuses usually start sometime during the first 2 weeks of April.
Good luck!
Thanks for the connection to Farmer’s Almanac and the frost chart. Nice feature, which is now bookmarked.
As I wrote “wider and wilder” extremes correspond with much of the continent east of the Rockies. Here the accumulation of hours between 32 and 45F (roughly 2050 hours) keep things dormant and make for a short growing season. I am well aware I live in the banana belt of the North, and am grateful for that.
Years ago when I began to look into growing apples in my yard, I looked at GoldRush and decided then it didn’t look like it would be a safe bet to ripen in 150 days. Its higher Brix was not something that caught my attention at the time.
Its ancestry, including Golden Delicious twice, Jonathan, Red Delicious (parents of Melrose) and Rome Beauty did not endear it to me, although Winesap remains a point in its favor.
Sounds as though 180 days for GoldRush is pretty accurate. I’ll rely on Hunt Russet and Keepsake for long-keeping apples. (Maybe try Glockenapfel?)
Thank you all for your thoughtful and kind input!
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I am located at a 150 frost free day locale, I can say that GR ripens for me here…with a whooping two cropping seasons under my belt😉
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Why are folks referring to frost free days as if they were talking about growing tomatoes. Fruit trees begin growth here when 24 degree days are still common- last year we had 17F when J. plums were in full bloom! Of course that was a bit of a disaster- but 25F would not have hurt the plum blossoms, IME. Apple trees continue to ripen their fruit long after the first frost if they still have green leaves serving them. They do not need high temps to produce sugar and ripen fruit. I could have my first frost in the first week of Oct. but be still ripening apples well into Nov.
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My pleasure. I’m trying it anyways and can always top work it later if it does not pan out. I liked the idea of something that is relatively disease resistant and can keep 6+ months. Post storage flavor sounds awesome too. Time will tell.
On a positive note for both of us, @JesseS who had those awesome photos of goldrush in the post I linked to earlier has only an estimated 133 growing days per the Almanac calculator (50% last frost May 15, 50% first frost Sept 26) so a full 20 days LESS than you.
Alan. Simply using frost free days as a comparison between regions. I prefer things like when in general you get crocus or daffodils leaving the ground but a website that allows you to quickly compare regions is interesting. If goldrush needs 180 days and JesseS ripens them in a region with 150 frost free days would that not imply other regions with around 150 frost free days should be able to ripen goldrush?
Yet another reason to enter your data in www.gardenregister.com. Can plug in flowering date and harvest date for each fruit type as well as your zone and then people will be able to compare to their regions.
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Got it. I’m in a bit of a snow daze today. Completely disorienting to get 2’ of snow in mid-March after a winter where we got only about 12" since Dec. and mostly mild fall weather until mid-Feb.