I am looking for crabs where the fruit would be suited to longer cold storage and still be viable as eating apples. I’ve tasted Trailman which is described as a summer apple but that, where I am located, ripens in September. Does anyone have experience with it in storage? And are there any crabs you would recommend that keep well in cold storage?
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Trailman dont holdmthat well in storage. I would recommend later ripening crabs, like Chestnut and Wickson.
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Many thanks Jesse. Would you say they are similar in taste profile, hardiness and abundant crops?
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Also, what size are the trees when mature?
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@JesseS Hi Jesse. Im trying to finalize my order for this spring and found this thread helpful. I was wondering a few things. Have you had a chance to try trailman apples in hard cider yet? Also, have you been able to try your whitney apples and compare to the others? This is another one I’m considering adding. Would you say that the labor is significantly higher to collect enough apples for cider when doing crabs? The bonus i could see is you would probably save time on not quartering them. I don’t want too many crabs if the work for gathering them for juicing is quite a bit harder. Im growing for both fresh eating and hard cider. Thanks.
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It’s pretty sharp(Acidic) for hard cider.
Looks like a bumper crop of crabs on the way.
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FYI that is the same tree as the OP, now 11 yrs old and has developed a nice spreading form
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Trailman continues to be a winner here, now yielding several bushels annually. Ripe now and just starting to drop!
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Do codling moth, curculio leave your Trailman alone?
Some pc some sf but no cm, no scab
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I am hooked on Trailman now as well. Tree is growing strong. Great disease resistance and the fruit is tasty. I am thinking of calling them the one bite wonder! LOL
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@JesseS How has your Trailman done with disease and pests now that you’ve had it for a while? Wondering if you can give us an update
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@JesseinMaine hey there, I was wondering if you could tell me about your Trailman tree - what rootstock is that growing on? I am considering planting a Trailman on a seedling (standard) rootstock in a row of M111 trees about 18 feet apart. I am wondering if the Trailman has a natural dwarfing affect since it’s a crab, and if I might be able to contain it enough with pruning to stay about the size of a semi-dwarf without a ton of regret 
Also, I see it’s an early bloomer, do you find it escape most frost and still produce annually?
be warned that there are reports of Trailman being bland above Z6, though I haven’t seen anyone on these forums confirm that
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I’m 20 mi. north of the KY/TN line… considered z7 by the ‘new’ USDA hardiness zone map. ‘Trailman’ is the tastiest apple I’ve ever grown.
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This is why I only trust nursery descriptions as far as I can throw them.
My Trailman is on Antonovka, it is medium low vigor variety and dense spreading growth habit like the crab it is . It has been a good performer although I think it may be susceptible to some form of calcium deficiency as it’s had some issues w watercore
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Ive seen watercore on some other apple-crabs too, namely Wickson and Chestnut. I just had my first Trailman apple this year on a scrawny potted m-26 graft from last year. I agree its a great tasty little apple. Aces
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