Kingston Black cider apple trees

Kingston Black
  • Best seller
  • Gardening skill: Some needed
  • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
  • Pollination group: 5
  • Uses: Hard cider

Kingston Black is one of the definitive English hard cider apple varieties and produces a very high quality bittersharp juice.

It is one of the few English varieties that can be used without blending, to make a single-varietal cider.

Note that Kingston Black cannot be eaten fresh - it is grown solely for hard cider production.

Kingston Black cider apple trees for sale

Item
Mature height*
Price
Quantity
1-year Kingston Black cider apple trees bare-root
Small (6ft-9ft) mature height
$29.00
1-year Kingston Black cider apple trees bare-root
M.7 rootstock
Medium (8ft-12ft) mature height
$29.00
1-year Kingston Black cider apple trees bare-root
Large (10ft-16ft) mature height
$29.00

You can pre-order trees now for delivery when shipping starts (fall for warmer zones, or next spring), you won't be asked to pay until nearer the time.

*Find out more about the apple rootstocks we use to control the mature height.


How to grow

Kingston Black takes time to start bearing, although this is less of an issue on dwarf rootstocks, however the best quality fruit tends to come from older trees. Production is variable - it can be a heavy cropper in some areas but only average in others. It is a bit susceptible to scab, although this is not likely to be a concern for the backyard grower.

Advice on fruit tree pollination.

Historical details

Kingston Black takes its name from the the town of Kingston near Taunton in Somerset, the main cider-growing area of the UK. It is thought to have arisen in the 19th century.

Kingston Black characteristics

Using

  • Picking season: Very late
  • Uses: Hard cider
  • Cropping: Light
  • Keeping (of fruit): 2-3 weeks
  • Juice style: Bittersharp (cider)
  • Fruit persistence: Normal ripening

Growing

  • Gardening skill: Some needed
  • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
  • Pollination group: 5
  • Pollinating others: Average
  • Ploidy: Diploid
  • Vigour: Average vigour
  • Precocity: Slow to start bearing
  • Bearing regularity: Regular
  • Fruit bearing: Spur-bearer
  • Organic culture: Not-suitable

Disease resistance

  • General resistance: Poor
  • Canker: Some susceptibility
  • Cedar apple rust: Some susceptibility
  • Scab: Some susceptibility

Climate

  • Cold hardiness (USDA): (5) -20F / -29C
  • Summer average maximum temperatures: Cool ( 20C - 24C / 68F - 75F)

Identification

  • Country of origin: United Kingdom
  • Period of origin: 1850 - 1899
  • Fruit color: Crimson
  • Fruit size: Average
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