Receiving a lot of calls and emails regarding my grafting class for 2026. It will be on Sunday April 19th from 1:00 until 3:00 PM at the same location as last year: The Ridges, building 22, room 221 at OU in Athens, Ohio. Hosted by a group doing a great job for the environment, Raccoon Creek Watershed Group. The cost is only $10, I teach the class for free, and for $10 you get the class, an MM.111 root stock and a choice of an heirloom scion variety that I provide. You also have the option to buy additional root stock from Raccoon Creek or additional scions from me. Extra scions from me are $5 and I always bring some really rare ones in addition to the ones for the class. Also you must provide your own cutting knife.
And with this grafting season I am adding 101 new varieties, including some new red fleshed and hard cider ones, so our total will be just over 2,000 varieties of apples. They’re all going onto MM.111 rootstock as that works the best for us here with our soil. And for the majority of these new varieties they have come from swaps so this was a very good year in terms of new varieties.
Some of the new ones include:
Alabaster, different varieties of Antonovka including Mitchurin, Shafran, Zheltaia, Kamenichka, Polutorafuntovaya, Debnicka. And Askar, Azeroly Anise, Ball’s Pippin, Brittle Sweet, Bullet, Coul Blush, Early Bird, Golden Bittersweet, Green Custard, Greenstar, Ivette, Josey, Leathercoat Russet, Liaoning Purple, Pear Apple, Pink Delicious, Powell’s Russet, Red Russet, Reinette Marbree, Scotch Bridget, St Everard, Studley Salamander, Sweet William, Thomas Hunt, Transparent Codlin, Tupstones and more.
Alabaster - Very pale skin punctuated with prominent lenticels with flesh that is also very pale. Said to ripen in late September and is juicy, sweet and very richly flavored.
Azeroly Anise - French variety with anise flavor developed in the mid 1800’s.
Bullet - discovered in North Carolina before 1850. I grafted this one because it is said to bloom very late.
Brittle Sweet - Its origin in America was unknown according to Charles Downing in his ‘The Fruits and Fruit Trees of America’ in the 1865 edition. He rated it very highly, among the best and deserving more attention.
Coul Blush - Most northerly grown variety in Scotland, grown since 1827. Early ripening mid sized fruit.
Pixirosso - A modern bred red fleshed variety.
Reinette Marbree - named from the pretty veining of russet that covers the apple. It was first recorded in 1760 in The Netherlands.
Spring will be here before you know it!
And for those who might not be aware, NAFEX is a great group to join and support if you have an interest in preserving, finding and keeping heirloom varieties of fruit growing.
Good luck to all with your grafting and growing season and for a full harvest in 2026!
Derek Mills
Hocking Hills Orchard at the Four Seasons Cabins in the beautiful Hocking Hills of SE Ohio.
And when you visit the Hocking Hills please stay and patronage locally owned and operated businesses, it matters!
