I am in SE Michigan zone 6a. Wickson does great here.
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Right now Eden is my favorite. It’s another Etter variety similar to Wickson but ripens earlier. I think the flavor is even more intense than wickson
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Well if sweet is all you want Alma Sweet. Some people even say that it is too sweet with little else.
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My pipsqueak graft from last year has been quite precocious. It has already set out leaves all along it’s length. No other leaves yet on that tree. I’m hopeful it continues to do well and like you, anxious for that first taste.
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I have been growing Wickson for many years. I love it. It is strong sweet and strong tart. I do live on the West Coast. Not hard to grow. Chestnut is also a great one for me. I also like Centennial, but not as much as the other two.
John S
PDX OR
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I’m biased, but wait until you try Clark's Crabapple . It is a well balanced crabapple.
Today is April 6th 2023 and i’m eating the last few wrinkled crabapples. These were never put in cold storage. They taste heavenly today but they were very wrinkled.
If you want an apple with a well balanced intense sugary concentrated punch to it try roxbury russet. It is a smaller medium apple, but not a crabapple. Wickson crapple is not bad in my climate, nor overly impressive. Have grown wickson a number of years. In general it is very hard to grow good apples in Kansas.
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I was literally making ‘Clark’s Crab’ grafts when you made that post. I got 11 of them nurse root grafted with plans to burry the graft unions and let them become own root. I also top worked some of the scion onto a Malus fusca I had growing in a wet area.
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Keep us posted on the pipsqueak. I’m interested in that one. My kids waste large apples so small serving sizes would be nice in my opinion.
I have a chestnut but haven’t gotten ripe fruit to have an opinion on it yet. It’s a very healthy & well behaved tree. Z7A it is almost at pink bud now.
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I’m hopeful that my Clark’s Crab grafts take this spring, and I’m hopeful C.C. proves to be zone 4a/3b hardy. If it is, it will be a very welcome addition to the hardy crabs worth eating category 
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I’m thinking about grafting a crab ontop of a 6ft antonovka. I took some cutting of a wild crab, but need trees that branch at 6 feet or the deer will eat them. I assume the tree will get the same size as the parent, but 6ft taller? Or would it be better to branch the rootstock and graft multiple tips?
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That crabapple of mine will runt out many rootstocks. It is a very heavy producer. The original parent tree got to about 12 feet tall. I’m not sure how tall it would get on a full sized apple. My guess would be not over 15 feet.
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That would work. Think Ill move the rootstock to thier final location and graft them next year, and find out how big i can get them. I look forward to seeing how your crab likes northern Wisconsin.
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Can I get a scion of Clark’s Crab?
Thanks Clark
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Don’t have any at the moment to give. @hobilus just asked me as well. Think everyone is out right now. @39thparallel was the last one to have any scions and he is out for the year i think. He has a bunch of trees, but they were in demand this year as the word is getting around about them. In this area they are typically the first to produce of any apple planted.
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Think you have me mixed up with someone else on the scion request.
My question is when do they ripen and are they a fresh eater?
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Yes they are very good fresh. As the weather gets colder in October and November they will ripen up! Wickson does not do as well for me here but it does ok.
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I may give that a try. The ones I have now ripen really early. That sounds like it’s one of the last apples on the tree end of season. I don’t think Wickson would do well here according to others near me.
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Forgot to mention I have a bunch of Chestnut scionwood if you want any.
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Me, too. Looks like I’m going to have a good first crop this season, though.
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