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Perennial Fruit Tree · zones 4–9 · 59 varieties

Apple

Malus domestica

Rosaceae — the same plant family as peach, cherry, plum, european pear and 4 more here. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.

Apple (Malus domestica) is a perennial fruit tree for USDA zones 4–9. It wants full sun and pH 5.8–7 soil, with about 1 in of water weekly. First real harvest comes in 2–8 yr on a grafted nursery tree. Watch for codling moth and apple scab. Below: its full sourced profile from 10 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.

Zones 4–9 — USDA USDA
Sun Full sun
Water Moderate
First harvest 2–8 yr — grafted grafted
Mature size 8–40 ft
Spacing 72–300 in
Soil pH 5.8–7
Frost Hardy
When to plant appletypical · zone 6b
Your zone
…or your ZIP, for your real frost dates

Dormant
Establishing
Flowering
Fruit set
Ripening
Harvest

Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.

Growing appleevery fact says where it came from

What we will not put a number on

We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.

We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.

Site & soil

Hardiness zones
4–9
Sun
Full sun
Soil pH
5.8–7
Soil texture
Loam, Sandy, Clay, Well drained
Frost tolerance
Hardy

The plant

Mature height
8–40 ft
Mature spread
8–30 ft
Growth rate
Moderateest
Spacing in row
72–300 in
Between rows
96–360 inest
Planting depth
At soil level
Container size
20 gal
Support
Needs staking or a trellis
Grown from
Grafting, Budding, Transplant

Water & feeding

Water needs
Moderate
Water per week
1 in/wk
Critical water
Establishment, Fruit setest
Feeding
Moderate

Timing & fruiting

Years to first harvest
2–8 yr
That is the grafted nursery tree, which is what a nursery sells.
Chill hours
200–1100 hrs
Pollination
Needs pollinizer
Harvest cues
Fruit coloring
Open blossoms damaged at
28 °F
Open blossoms killed at
25 °F

Edible parts per source: fruit.

What tends to go wrongmost-cited first
PestsCodling mothAphidsSpider mitesScaleFruitworm
DiseasesApple scabFire blightCedar apple rustPowdery mildewBlack rotBitter rotSooty blotch apple

Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.

⚠ Reported toxicityverbatim from cited sources

Different parts differ — the edible part is the fruit; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.

Petsdogs, cats, horses

Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).

All 59 varietiesthe ones with their own page are linked
Variety Type DaysColorSizeDiseaseWhat it is known for
Akane — Red SCAB POWDERY_MILDEW
Anna —
Arkansas Black Heirloom — Purple
Ashmead's Kernel Heirloom — Small
Baldwin Heirloom — Red Large Fedco Trees describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Black Oxford Heirloom — Purple Medium Fedco Trees describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Braeburn — Dave Wilson Nursery describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Calville Blanc d'Hiver Heirloom Dual Purpose —
Chestnut Crab Heirloom Dual Purpose — Small
Cortland Heirloom — Large Dave Wilson Nursery describes this astakes the cold
Cox's Orange Pippin Heirloom — Bicolor MILDEW
Crimson Crisp — Medium SCAB Stark Bro's describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Dayton — Red Large SCAB MILDEW FIRE_BLIGHT CEDAR_APPLE_RUST
Dorsett Golden —
Duchess of Oldenburg Heirloom — Bicolor Medium SCAB Fedco Trees describes this astakes the cold
Egremont Russet Heirloom — Yellow
Empire —
Enterprise — Large SCAB CEDAR_APPLE_RUST FIRE_BLIGHT POWDERY_MILDEW Stark Bro's describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Esopus Spitzenburg Heirloom — Bicolor
Fireside Heirloom Dual Purpose — Large University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum records this askeeps a long time after picking
Freedom — Large SCAB POWDERY_MILDEW CEDAR_APPLE_RUST FIRE_BLIGHT
Fuji — Red Dave Wilson Nursery describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Gala — Bicolor
Ginger Gold — Medium Stark Bro's describes this astakes the heat
Golden Delicious Heirloom —
GoldRush — SCAB POWDERY_MILDEW FIRE_BLIGHT Stark Bro's describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Granny Smith Heirloom — Green
Gravenstein Heirloom Cooking — Green
Grimes Golden Heirloom Dual Purpose — Yellow Medium
Haralson Heirloom Dual Purpose — University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum records this askeeps a long time after picking
Honeycrisp — SCAB University of Minnesota (Minnesota Hardy plant introduction program) records this askeeps a long time after picking
Jonagold — Bicolor
Jonathan Heirloom — Medium
Keepsake Dual Purpose — University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum records this askeeps a long time after picking
King David Heirloom — Bicolor FIRE_BLIGHT CEDAR_APPLE_RUST SCAB
Liberty — SCAB CEDAR_APPLE_RUST MILDEW FIRE_BLIGHT
Lodi Heirloom — Green POWDERY_MILDEW
McIntosh Heirloom — Bicolor
Mutsu Heirloom — Very Large POWDERY_MILDEW
Newtown Pippin Heirloom — Yellow Dave Wilson Nursery describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Northern Spy Heirloom — Bicolor Large Stark Bro's describes this askeeps a long time after picking · takes the cold
Pink Lady — Bicolor Dave Wilson Nursery describes this askeeps a long time after picking
Priscilla — Red Medium SCAB FIRE_BLIGHT CEDAR_APPLE_RUST
Pristine — Bicolor Medium SCAB POWDERY_MILDEW FIRE_BLIGHT CEDAR_APPLE_RUST
Red Delicious Heirloom —
Redfree — Red Medium SCAB CEDAR_APPLE_RUST FIRE_BLIGHT POWDERY_MILDEW
Rome Beauty Heirloom — Red Large
Roxbury Russet Heirloom — Yellow Medium
Spartan Heirloom — Red SCAB MILDEW FIRE_BLIGHT
State Fair Dual Purpose — Medium
Stayman Winesap Heirloom — Bicolor SCAB CEDAR_APPLE_RUST
Sweet Sixteen Dessert —
SweeTango Dessert — Bicolor
Wealthy Heirloom — Bicolor SCAB FIRE_BLIGHT CEDAR_APPLE_RUST
William's Pride — Medium CEDAR_APPLE_RUST FIRE_BLIGHT MILDEW SCAB
Winesap Heirloom — Red Large CEDAR_APPLE_RUST Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center records this askeeps a long time after picking
Wolf River Heirloom — Very Large Dave Wilson Nursery describes this astakes the cold
Yellow Transparent Heirloom — Yellow
Zestar! Dual Purpose — Red
Sources10 cited · 9 organizations
  • ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center
  • Alabama Cooperative Extension System
  • Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center
  • Michigan State University Extension
  • Mississippi State University Extension
  • NC State Extension
  • University of Maryland Extension
  • University of Minnesota Extension
  • Utah State University Extension

We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 21 of the 24 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.

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