There are a lot of threads like this, but it is a vast subject so I would like to narrow to my situation.
I am moving to a new house in the city. I am going to put in a single tall spindle row. Not sure the length yet. I have some apple I will for sure do, but have to add more.
I am thinking 2 trees per variety so expecting to need approx 5 new varieties. Due to what I know I like from my current trees I will have these: Jonagold, Sun Crisp, Blushing Golden, Pixie Crunch, Shizuka.
I am in Z5A, near Tony in Omaha
I donât want hard to grow varieties.
Apples I do not want. Honeycrisp because it draws pests, not to mention a mediocre apple.
Do not want anything that ripens before September due to Japanese beetles.
I would like to have a good russeted apple.
Apple I wonder about:
There was some apple that was super high in antioxidants or whatever that got a lot of attention a few years ago. anything ever come of that?
Pinova
Gold Rush This is the late season apple that everyone loves, right? My only concern is having enough time to ripen on the tree completely in my area.
In your zone, I agree not to plant Gold Rush, too late to ripen. Gurney sells a new apple variety created inthe midwest called Crunch A Bunch (silly name, I know) It is billed as early GoldRush. Per Gurney, it ripens in mid Sept. In your zone, may be late Sept or even early Oct.
I also like Hoopleâs Antique Gold, it is russeted. Very good balanced apple ripen here (zone 6) in late Sept. My first Rubinette apples last year was not memorable because of so much rain intobthe fall.
I treat my apples with mininmal spraying of two sprays of Imminox for CAR and scab, then, I bag. Done.
Just curious, why you need two trees for each variety?
Another member here @Johnthecook, is a home orchardist who grows apples with a tall spindle method. Hope John can share his experience.
Almost all of my trees have been planted as Tall Spindle, but none are perfect. Iâve planted some Home Depot trees right with my B9 trees and they have turned out to be bigger than my B9s so Iâve taken out some to allow for the more vigorous growth. Luckily the ones that I took out turned out to be duplicates of one I already had or ones that were not as good. Also I have pruned off the tops of some of them and grafted on a second variety so I have two on one tree. I think for home growers itâs better to give your trees a little more space for Tall Spindles than the pros do.
Montyâs Surprise is the high anti-oxidant nurtrient bomb apple we discussed a couple years ago. Contact Burnt Ridge Nursery in the NW: only place that sells it in U.S.
I grow Crimsoncrisp. It doesnât wow me really. Itâs a good sweet apple. Suncrisp is my new favorite apple. Itâs right up there with Goldrush apple.
Montyâs Surprise is not yet available for sale. I have been wanting to try growing it even without tasting it first which is unusual for me. I got tired of bugging Burnt Ridge about it.
Have you read Neiâs (@HighandDryâs posts of his apples. Those are high quality ones but he lives in a high and dry place (Reno, NV). The result may vary if planted where you are. Iâve seen positive reviews from others about the apples on Neilâs list.
Here 's the write up:
Esopus Spitzenburg (10/6 harvest) - uniformly 20-21 Brix the past two years. It might get a little sweeter with another couple weeks on the tree, but wonât be one of my sweetest.
Claygate Pearmain - I reported on this apple at length in another thread. It makes two distinct apples for me, one larger, juicier, smooth skinned, less complexly flavored and earlier in the season (early-mid September) - 17-20 Brix. The second type is smaller, drier (though still pretty juicy), much more complexly flavored, partially russeted, hangs on the tree far longer (early October) and better keeping - 22-24 Brix.
Kiddâs Orange-Red (2017, none in 2018, early Oct. harvest) - 27-28 Brix. Excellent, but more acid would be welcome.
Rubinette (10/4) - 25-27 Brix. Excellenter than Kiddâs. More acid and complexity to balance that sugar.
Sweet Sixteen (9/26) - all of the cherry Jolly Rancher flavor presented in 2018. Muy fantastico! 16-20 Brix. This apple tastes much sweeter than it measures. If it hit the same numbers as my sweetest, itâd probably be intolerably cloying.
Orleanâs Reinette (10/10) - 24-26 Brix. So complex and so good, one of my two or three best tasting apples, though itâs turned out to be a biennial performer for me. Better thinning would help, but I canât bring myself to strip off too much of this delectable apple when my tree sets well (grafting a second tree this year).
Golden Russet (10/12) - 26-29 Brix. It appears to be a little too hot here for this apple to develop itâs acid side as much as it could (my best GRâs were my first small crop four years ago-- they had a better acid/sugar/juice balance and complexity than anything since). Still a fine apple here, but not as good as fellow russet Orleanâs Reinette).
Suncrisp (10/12) - 21-22 Brix. Acid bomb off the tree, but sweet and fruity by mid-December. Very productive.
Calville Blanc (10/10) - 21-23 Brix with one 28 Brix outlier. This is a fantastic apple at itâs best, but is inconsistent here fruit-to-fruit to this point. Maybe the tree will settle in as it ages.
Melrose (10/12) - 21-22.5 Brix with a small surprise apple that the bears and I missed harvested on 10/25 hitting 28 Brix. this tree first cropped in 2017, so only two years to report on, but this may be my best apple once the tree starts producing full crops (only 20-25 fairly large fruits each of the last two years, but looks like Iâll at least double that this year). It exceeds its good reputation in my climate by a healthy margin and is truly excellent, with fine, juicy flesh of considerable complexity, probably my best-flavored apple last year.
Suntan (mid October in 2017; no apples in 2018) - 26-27 Brix. My first and only crop was in 2017. These were the best apples Iâve ever eaten. Suntanâs reputation is as a high sugar, high acid, high intensity, super complex apple. It is all of that! Itâs not for everybody, but for those who enjoy high flavor, in my orchard it was incredible. Itâs supposed to be a bit fussy, and last seasonâs zero apples in spite of decent blossom numbers indicates I might not always be happy with its production, but⌠I grafted another tree last year, so if they end up bearing in alternative years, hopefully they donât pair up.
Wickson (10/12) - 21-22 Brix. This little apple is probably my most bear-affected and would get much sweeter if I could leave it on the tree another three to four weeks. I harvested on 11/2 in 2016, which ended up being the magic number. It was outrageous that year, with high sugar, acid and complexity. In spite of the comparatively high Brix for last seasonâs apples, itâs flavor is just not there when harvested in early/mid October.
Margil (10/12) - first harvest from this variety last year. I saved it for last because it managed the highest Brix measurement among my apples thus far at 30. I found a small bag of these in my refrigerator in early April and they were still firm, crunchy and pretty tasty. No Brix measured on those, however.
I donât know what grows well in your area, but I can tell you what I want on my tree.
I have to have a McIntosh type, be it Mac, Liberty, or Macoun, (or all three). Jonagold is a favorite. I second the Rubinette thought, also love Karmijn de Sonnaville; I love Winesaps too.
Four that are fruiting for me for the first time this year are Hawkeye, Calville Blanc, Kiddâs Orange Red, and Coxâs Orange Pippin. Iâm very excited about those.
Just my two bits worth!
I want but havenât had Pomme Gris, the classic russeted apple. I enjoy but am not blown away by Yellow Delicious, Cameo, and State Fair. Generally, the earlier an apple is the less likely I am to prefer it, but State Fair is OK, and I can like Gala a little. Pixie Crunch is an early apple thatâs not bad, and my wife likes it so we keep it.
Iâve got some Prairie Spy that should be a great storage apple, but the last PS I grew tasted terrible. Iâm giving it another try this year because Iâve had PS that were really good.
I was bugging them as well about Montyâs Surprise. They are telling me once they brought it to the states they had issues with diseases. They have to quarantine it for a few years in order to get the USDA approval to sell it. The last time I checked with them they were still having some issues with it and they said it may be available in a year or two. Perhaps 2020 or 2021. The initial impression sounded great but the more they tell me the more I am inclined to find another apple that has been tried and tested here in the USA. I do not want to waste the time and planting space for a fruit tree that I will have issues with or that will not be as great of an apple as it was in the original country it came from. If someone else wants to be the guinea pig with this one, good luck and keep us posted how it does.
I figure Goldrush should be just fine in the Omaha area. They ripen over here in more clouds, cooler eastern Iowa (zone 5a/b). They are reliable enough here that the local U-Pick and cidery gets a good portion of their hard cider production from Goldrush (Wilsons out of Iowa City - not sure how far west in IA they distribute).
I like Crimson Crisp enough that I planted it in my own Version 2.0 orchard this spring after moving last year. I think it is a solid apple if you are into scab resistant varieties. It has a good apple flavor and can get a subtle lemon/citrus flavor some years.
Liberty is a good enough apple that seems to be very reliable, so it made the move with me as a new tree. It is precious to the max on G.935. It was my favorite tree for rootstock and apple combo. Just foolproof for production. Scab and fireblight resistant. Keeps until Christmas for me, but folks like @marknmt I believe have stored them longer
Suncrisp, of course. Iâm among its highest boosters here.
Empire does well here (Mac x Delicious but mostly Mac). Chieftain (Jonathon x Delicious) came from ISU, it is solid in our climate. These two fit in the classic Mac/North American vinous category.
Kiddâs Orange Red was high on my list when I planted my 1st orchard but I didnât like the texture and the flavor wasnât quite there for me. I did not replant it. I might add it back later as a graft.
Sweet Sixteen is ripe Labor Day here (9/26 seems too late). If grown on drier soil it gives the full range of Cherry and Anise/Licorice flavor depending on harvest date and storage length. If grown on loam or irrigated it seems bit less flavorful and is just a good apple with slight hints of the cherry.
Iâd personally say why not grow some earlier apples⌠why wait til September? Japanese Beetles arenât that bad, at least not every year. My favorites are Zestar! and Williams Pride. Both also keep well compared to other August apples.
Also search for @Chiknâs posts. I believe he has made comments about what works for him in central Iowa. I think he really likes Baldwin. Edit: here are his 2017 and 2018 posts.
Really good apples for me in Des Moines area,
Gold Rush ripens slowly here, expect to store it awhile. Brittle on G202. Out of 5, 3.5.
Royal Empire has been exceptional, good crops, wonderful flavor, oversets. Out of 5, 4.25.
Orleans Reinette, russeted, late bloom, fully ripe its an amazing apple. out of 5, 4.8
Westfield SNF, only one year but delightful flavor, good drier. Out of 5, 4.25.
Baldwin, Exceptional cooker, eater, cider apple. Big. Must thin, biannual. Out of 5, 4.8.
Chieftain, Bred for western Ia/Neb. Dark red, sweet, disease free, annual bears Out of 5, 5.
Others that have been good, Chestnut, Razor russet, Karmijn de Sonneville, Liberty, Airlieâs, Jonathan,
Failures. Coxâs, Etterâs trees, Kingston Blk, Foxwelp, Somerset redstreak.
And a bunch of weâll see apples, too.
Get something that works for your first variety. You can get tricky with other plantings.
Check with your extension service. For me, itâs Gala and Ginger Gold. The point is there are good varieties that are reliable. Not that those are the be all and end all.
PS. â Goldrushâ couldnât ripen in my somewhat warmer climate.
Idared. Wagener x Jonathan. Large, solid, strikingly bright red fruit. Smooth, waxy, medium thick skin. Crisp, fine grained, aromatic, white flesh. Mildly acid flavor. Fine processing qualities. Tart at harvest time; quality develops in storage. Small to medium size tree bears heavy crops annually. Blooms early; ripens late. Pollinate with Summerred, Spartan, or Lodi. Developed at Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station for commercial processing. Introduced in 1942.
Seed Savers Exchange, Inc. Fruit, Berry and Nut Inventory. Ed. Kent Whealy. 3rd ed. Decorah, IA: Seed Savers Exchange, 2001.
. I think