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List of the best apple trees for the beginner

Reliable apple varieties which are easy to grow, disease-resistant, good-cropping - ideal for the new apple grower.

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Rootstocks

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    • Akane

      Akane apple trees
      Akane is an attractive early-season eating apple with a good pedigree and a sweet/sharp flavor.
      • Picking season: Early
      • Pollination group: 4
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Alkmene

      Alkmene apple trees
      Alkmene is a mid-season apple from Germany, related to to Cox but with a more robust flavor.
      • Picking season: Mid
      • Pollination group: 2
      • Self-fertility: Self-fertile

    • Antonovka

      Antonovka apple trees
      Antonovka is one of the most cold-hardy of all apple varieties.
      • Picking season: Early
      • Pollination group: 3
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Chieftain

      Chieftain apple trees
      A quietly popular apple, similar to Delicious but with a better and more complex flavor.
      • Picking season: Late
      • Pollination group: 4
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Cortland

      Cortland apple trees
      Developed from McIntosh, Cortland is one of the most widely-grown Mac-style apples.
      • Picking season: Late
      • Pollination group: 3
      • Self-fertility: Partially self-fertile

    • CrimsonCrispTM

      CrimsonCrisp apple trees
      CrimsonCrisp is a modern scab-resistant apple, with a very crisp flesh. It can be picked over a long-period.
      • Picking season: Mid
      • Pollination group: 3
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • CrimsonTopazTM

      CrimsonTopaz is a modern scab-resistant variety from the Czech Republic, with a sweet-tart flavor.
      • Picking season: Late
      • Pollination group: 3
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Dayton

      Dayton is an attractive red modern disease-resistant apple with crisp flesh and a sweet/tart flavor.
      • Picking season: Mid
      • Pollination group: 3
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Discovery

      Discovery apple trees
      Discovery is the definitive early-season English apple variety.
      • Picking season: Early
      • Pollination group: 3
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Duchess of Oldenburg

      Duchess of Oldenburg apple trees
      An old culinary variety from Russia, popular in North America, and noted for its winter hardiness.
      • Picking season: Early
      • Pollination group: 2
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Egremont Russet

      Egremont Russet apple trees
      Egremont Russet is the most popular English russet variety, and a good apple tree for the garden.
      • Picking season: Late
      • Pollination group: 2
      • Self-fertility: Partially self-fertile

    • Empire

      Empire apple trees
      One of the most widely-planted McIntosh style apples, Empire has the Mac flavor but improves on it.
      • Picking season: Late
      • Pollination group: 3
      • Self-fertility: Partially self-fertile

    • Enterprise

      Enterprise apple trees
      Enterprise is a modern American disease-resistant apple, good for eating fresh and cooking.
      • Picking season: Very late
      • Pollination group: 4
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Florina

      Florina apple trees
      A modern disease-resistant variety related to Jonathan and Golden Delicious.
      • Picking season: Late
      • Pollination group: 4
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Freedom

      Freedom apple trees
      A modern disease-resistant apple variety, similar to McIntosh.
      • Picking season: Late
      • Pollination group: 3
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Galarina

      Galarina is best considered an improved, disease-resistant Gala (to which it is closely related).
      • Picking season: Late
      • Pollination group: 3
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Gilpin

      Gilpin is a traditional American an all-purpose apple, an excellent keeper, useful in the kitchen and for cider too.
      • Picking season: Very late
      • Pollination group: 5
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Ginger Gold®

      Ginger Gold apple trees
      One of the first yellow apples to ripen.
      • Picking season: Very early
      • Pollination group: 4
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • GoldRush

      GoldRush apple trees
      GoldRush is a modern disease-resistant apple, like Golden Delicious but with a better tart/sweet balance. It is also one of the best new hard-cider varieties.
      • Picking season: Very late
      • Pollination group: 4
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Hudson's Golden Gem

      Hudson's Golden Gem apple trees
      A large yellow russeted apple with an excellent sweet flavor.
      • Picking season: Late
      • Pollination group: 3
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Idared

      Idared apple trees
      A popular and versatile apple, especially good for juicing, and an exceptional keeper.
      • Picking season: Late
      • Pollination group: 2
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Keepsake

      Keepsake apple trees
      A high-quality late-season eating apple, keeps well, and at its best in mid-winter.
      • Picking season: Very late
      • Pollination group: 4
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Kidd's Orange Red

      Kidd's Orange Red apple trees
      Kidd's Orange Red is one of the best Cox-style apples, aromatic, sweet, and easy to grow.
      • Picking season: Late
      • Pollination group: 3
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Liberty

      Liberty apple trees
      Liberty is a popular disease-resistant apple, large crops of bright red apples, similar to McIntosh.
      • Picking season: Late
      • Pollination group: 2
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • McIntosh

      McIntosh apple trees
      A traditional versatile apple popular in the northern states of the USA. Also known as Macintosh.
      • Picking season: Late
      • Pollination group: 2
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Melrose

      Melrose apple trees
      Melrose is a Jonathan-style apple, with a sweet flavor and good storage life.
      • Picking season: Late
      • Pollination group: 3
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Pixie CrunchTM

      Pixie Crunch apple trees
      Pixie Crunch is a small modern disease-resistant apple with a crisp flesh and great flavor.
      • Picking season: Mid
      • Pollination group: 4
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Red Delicious

      Red Delicious apple trees
      Delicious is one of the most popular red apples, productive and easy to grow.
      • Picking season: Late
      • Pollination group: 4
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Redfree

      Redfree apple trees
      A disease-resistant and cold-hardy summer apple with a sweet flavor, also known as Co-op 13.
      • Picking season: Early
      • Pollination group: 3
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Saint Edmund's Russet

      Saint Edmund's Russet apple trees
      Not as well known as other russets, St. Edmund's Russet is nevertheless one of the best.
      • Picking season: Mid
      • Pollination group: 3
      • Self-fertility: Partially self-fertile

    • Sansa

      Sansa apple trees
      A high quality early-season apple variety with a notably sweet flavor.
      • Picking season: Early
      • Pollination group: 4
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • SnowSweet®

      SnowSweet apple trees
      A rich sweet-flavored red apple which grows best in the northern states.
      • Picking season: Late
      • Pollination group: 3
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Spartan

      Spartan apple trees
      Spartan produces lots of crimson maroon apples, crunchy, sweet, easy to grow, and a delicate "vinous" flavor.
      • Picking season: Late
      • Pollination group: 3
      • Self-fertility: Partially self-fertile

    • Sunrise

      Sunrise apple trees
      Sunrise is a bright red-flushed Canadian apple with a soft flesh and sweet flavor.
      • Picking season: Early
      • Picking season: Mid
      • Pollination group: 2
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Sweet Sixteen

      Sweet Sixteen apple trees
      Sweet 16 is a sweet-flavored apple, with good cold hardiness.
      • Picking season: Mid
      • Pollination group: 3
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • TriumphTM

      Also known as MN80, Triumph is a new release from the well-regarded University of Minnesota apple breeding program.
      • Picking season: Late
      • Pollination group: 3
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Tydeman's Late Orange

      Tydeman's Late Orange apple trees
      An excellent late-season Cox-style aromatic apple.
      • Picking season: Late
      • Pollination group: 4
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Wolf River

      Wolf River apple trees
      Wolf River is the perfect cooking apple for the north - reliable, cold-hardy, disease resistant.
      • Picking season: Late
      • Pollination group: 3
      • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile

    • Worcester Pearmain

      Worcester Pearmain apple trees
      Worcester Pearmain is a well-known early-season English apple, noted for its strawberry-like flavors.
      • Picking season: Early
      • Pollination group: 3
      • Self-fertility: Partially self-fertile

    • Yellow Transparent

      Yellow Transparent apple trees
      A traditional very early-season dual-purpose apple, which is also very winter-hardy.
      • Picking season: Very early
      • Pollination group: 2
      • Self-fertility: Partially self-fertile