Summer 2025 - open for pre-ordersYou can pre-order now for the spring 2026 planting season.
Over 250 specialist fruit tree varieties for your orchard or back-yard
  1. Home
  2. Catalog search
Share the link to this page of varieties. Share?

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.

40 varietiesClear all
View matching varieties View the list of varieties which match your search criteria

Categories

  • 40
  • 20
  • 2
  • 3
  • 3
  • 5
  • 3
  • 1
  • 8
  • 3
  • 5
  • 6
  • 2

Stock availability

  • 40
  • 31
  • 9

Rootstocks

  • 13?
  • 22?
  • 8?
  • 3?

Growing

Gardening skill?

  • 40
  • 73
  • 10

Self-fertility?

  • 1
  • 7
  • 32

Pollination group?

  • 8
  • 20
  • 11
  • 1

Pollinating others?

  • 5
  • 32
  • 2

Using

Picking season?

  • 2
  • 8
  • 7
  • 20
  • 4

Uses

  • 38
  • 13
  • 3
  • 2
  • 16
  • 4

Keeping (of fruit)?

  • 9
  • 6
  • 14
  • 11

Disease resistance

General resistance?

  • 31
  • 8

Fireblight?

  • 1
  • 20
  • 10
  • 1

Canker?

  • 4
  • 4

Scab?

  • 16
  • 13
  • 5

Cedar apple rust?

  • 4
  • 16
  • 8
  • 2

Mildew?

  • 3
  • 16
  • 5

Climate

Cold hardiness (USDA)?

  • 8
  • 21
  • 6
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1

Summer maximum temperatures?

  • 10
  • 39
  • 34
  • 6

Chill requirement?

  • 2
  • 1

Identification

Country of origin

  • 3
  • 1
  • 2
  • 1
  • 2
  • 1
  • 3
  • 5
  • 22

Period of origin

  • 1
  • 3
  • 6
  • 12
  • 16
  • 2

Flesh colour

  • 1
  • 4

Fruit color

  • 9
  • 1
  • 2
  • 1
  • 2
  • 4
  • 2
  • 11
  • 2
  • 2
  • 3
  • 1

  • 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 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 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 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 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

  • 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

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

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

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

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

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

  • 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 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 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