Kingston Black cider apple trees
- 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
1-year Kingston Black cider apple trees bare-root
B.9, G.11, G.41
rootstock
Small (6ft-9ft) mature height
$29.00
1-year Kingston Black cider apple trees bare-root
G.890, G.935, M.7
rootstock
Medium (8ft-12ft) mature height
$29.00
1-year Kingston Black cider apple trees bare-root
B.118
rootstock
Large (10ft-16ft) mature height
$29.00
*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
