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Antonovka apple tree

Antonovka
Antonovka is listed in the RHS Plants for Pollinators
  • Picking season: Early
  • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
  • Pollination group: 3
Antonovka is one of the most cold-hardy of all apple varieties.

Antonovka apple trees for sale

  • Medium 1-year bare-root tree $35.95
    Mature height: 8ft-12ft after 10 years
    (Polutorafuntovaya) G.890 rootstock
    Out of stock
    Sorry we have sold out for this season

Antonovka is a popular medium-sized green/yellow cooking or dual-purpose apple. It originated in 19th century Russia, and was soon being grown in the northern USA on account of its excellent cold-hardiness.

There are many different forms of this variety - Antonovka Kamenichka is a red-flushed form discovered in the Ukraine in the 1890s, while Polutorafuntovaya is a green-skinned form, often with particularly large fruit size. Indeed it is perhaps best to think of Antonovka as a population of closely-related varieties rather than an individual cultivar. This explains why there is a considerable variation in its color, the best time to pick the apples, and how well the apples keep in storage.

For best results when cooking the apples should still be green in color with plenty of acidity. They will mellow to a yellow/green in storage, and can then be eaten fresh. The apples are gernally ripe in the early / mid-season, and can be stored for a month or so.

 

How to grow

Antonovka is a reliable, productive, and generally disease-free apple, and an ideal choice for colder zones.

Advice on fruit tree pollination.

History

Antonovka is unusual among apples in that seeds will often grow nearly true, with seedling trees being very similar or identical to the parent - whereas with the vast majority of apple varieties a seedling tree will be a cross between the mother and the pollent parent. This may explain the wide range of variation in the characteristics of the variety

Antonovka is also widely used as a cold-hardy rootstock for other apple varieties.

Antonovka characteristics

  • Gardening skillBeginner
  • Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
  • Pollination group3
  • Pollinating othersAverage
  • PloidyDiploid
  • Bearing regularityRegular
  • Fruit bearingSpur-bearer
  • WildlifeRHS Plants for Pollinators
  • Picking seasonEarly
  • UsesEating freshCulinaryDual purpose
  • CroppingGood
  • Keeping (of fruit)1-2 months
  • Flavor style (apples)Sharper
  • General resistanceGood
  • FireblightSome resistance
  • ScabSome resistance
  • Cold hardiness (USDA)(3) -40F / -40C
  • Summer maximum temperaturesCool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)Warm (25-30C / 76-85F)Cold (< 20C / 67F)
  • Country of originRussia
  • Period of origin1850 - 1899
  • Fruit colorGreen - light

Similar varieties

  • Duchess of Oldenburg
    An old culinary variety from Russia, popular in North America, and noted for its winter hardiness.
  • Slavyanka
    Slavyanka is a cold-hardy late-season eating apple from Russia.