I heard spitzenberg apple is one of the best apples you can grow for taste reasons on certain websites but they are not the easiest to grow and that they have a long growing season. What time do they ripen/mature?
1 Like
Pomiferous addresses your questions:
https://pomiferous.com/applebyname/esopus-spitzenburg-id-2610
1 Like
Mine will have first blossoms in the spring…but my guess is ripens about time of Fuji or Arkansas Black.
1 Like
It’s mid-Late ripening here and does so over an extended period of 2-4 weeks
2 Likes
That is interesting but I have to question the varieties lack of vigor on “its own roots”- it never grows on its own roots as far as I know, and isn’t a variety that shows root primordia on above ground wood that indicates it can easily be rooted from cuttings.
As a grafted tree here, it is moderately vigorous and is known to perform well in the west in the commercial growing areas there as well as here in NYS. I just don’t have any idea about its cold hardiness, but as far as ripening in Z5 I think it probably could make it most seasons, although all Z5s are not equal- for ripening it’s about length of season (which ends when night temps fall below about 25F, or when trees are mostly defoliated.
Here in NYZ6 I’ve yet to have a season that wasn’t long enough for all the fruit to ripen. This year it was mostly ready by Oct 15th, which is about a week earlier than average in my experience.
I often read that it is only great for eating out of storage, but I and a lot of people that love Goldrush, like it even more than Goldrush right off the tree on a good year for it. Of course, Goldrush will end up pulling ahead by late winter in storage. Spitz has a rep as a good storing apples but I find it gets soft after a couple of months or so.
This last year, Goldrush turned out better than Spitz, for some reason. Part of it was that Goldrush had all the Nov it needed to ripen fully. In fact, not only did it hold its texture down to 22F, but still had some crunch after a 19F night.
Spitz ripens sooner and doesn’t ever need a mild Nov. to ripen fully here. It is a most beautiful apple that bears consistently here.
Who grows it in Z5?
3 Likes
Thank you Alan. I’ve avoided Goldrush assuming I don’t have enough season for it to ripen. I have two Esopus Spitzenburg on M.111 here in Z4 Cold Brook NY. They’re not yet fruiting so I can’t relate experience with it.
1 Like