Apple

Malus domestica

Thousands of varieties; pick ones bred for your winter chill.

Type: small tree · fruit trees
Hardiness: zones 3 to 8
Light: full sun
Size: about 15 ft tall, 12 ft wide
Harvest: August to October
From: Central Asia
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.

Good for: food, pollinators.

Hardy in zones 3 to 8.

The story

The Tian Shan mountains of Kazakhstan (wild Malus sieversii). Apples don't come true from seed. Every named variety is a clone.

Planting

Full sun. Soil: well-drained loam (pH 6.0–7.0). Spacing: 10–20 ft. Pollination: needs a different apple. Gala and Red Delicious pollinate each other.

Growing

Water: 1 in per week the first 2 years. Winter: Prune in late winter: remove crossing, inward and upright water sprouts. Spring: Scab season starts at green tip. Rake old leaves. Summer: Thin to one apple per cluster, 6–8 in apart, after June drop. Fall: Pick up drops to break pest cycles.

Harvest and use

Harvest: Gala late Aug–Sep · Red Delicious late Sep–Oct. First crop: 2–5 years.

What to watch for

Apple scab, cedar-apple rust, codling moth, apple maggot.

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General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home