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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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Stock availability

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Rootstocks

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Growing

Gardening skill?

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Self-fertility?

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Pollination group?

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Pollinating others?

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Using

Picking season?

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Uses

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Keeping (of fruit)?

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Disease resistance

General resistance?

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Fireblight?

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Canker?

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Scab?

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Cedar apple rust?

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Mildew?

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Climate

Cold hardiness (USDA)?

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Summer maximum temperatures?

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Chill requirement?

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Identification

Country of origin

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Period of origin

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Flesh colour

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Fruit color

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  • 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