APPLES
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Historically, the Lander area has been known as "Apple Valley" because the climate here is very conducive to growing apple trees. Many of the trees are over 100 years old in our community. Apples can tolerate both our clay soils and winter conditions, and they are the easiest fruiting tree to grow in the Lander area. If you plant an apple and there are no other apples in your area, we recommend that you plant a second apple tree to help with pollination. Even flowering Crabapples nearby will pollinate apple trees. We offer both standard and semi-dwarf sizes in apples. If you are interested in growing fruit we highly recommend starting with apples.
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2025 VARIETIES
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BLOOM SEASONS OF SOME COMMON APPLE VARIETIES
When selecting multiple apple trees you want to roughly match bloom seasons for pollination. Thea earlier a tree flowers, the earlier the fruit ripens and vise versa. Springtime in our area usually come very quickly, meaning that bloom seasons usually overlap. We recommend not using an early season and a late season variety for pollination, but any other combination is usually ok.
*DENOTES VARIETIES AVAILABLE FOR 2025
early season*BATTLEFORD
HARCOURT KINDERKRISP* NORKENT NORLAND STATE FAIR* WEALTHY ZESTAR* |
mid seasonCORTLAND
FIRESIDE FIRESTORM HONEYCRISP FREEDOM FROSTBITE* HARCOURT HONEYCRISP* JOHNATHAN MCINTOSH* NORKENT RED PRAIRIE SPY SEPTEMBER RUBY SNOWSWEET SPARTAN SWEET SIXTEEN* TRIUMPH* WEALTHY WOLF RIVER* ZESTAR* |
late seasonCORTLAND
FIRESIDE FREEDOM FROSTBITE HARALRED HARALSON HAZEN HONEYGOLD* RED PRAIRIE SPY WINECRISP* |
What is A standard, semi -dwarf, OR dwarf apple?
Apple trees are all grown as a grafted plant. That means that the root is a different apple tree than what is growing on top. This is done to create a much healthier, more vigorous plant. The most vigorous apple is a "standard" apple. Standard apples grow around 20' tall. What makes an apple a "standard" apple is it is grown on the hardiest, most productive rootstock. Semi-Dwarf trees grow around 12-15' high in our climate. Semi-dwarf trees are great for smaller areas where you don't want to continuously prune your plant. When it is a semi-dwarf it will be less hardy, but we have still had good success with them in our climate. We don't recommend dwarf varieties in our climate, as being grafted on a less vigorous root stock makes the plant much less hardy in cold climates.
2025 VARIETIES
FROSTBITE
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A unique small apple with a very sweet, intense flavor. Juicy and crisp with firm texture. Extremely hardy, Frostbite is an excellent variety for cold, northern climates. Great for cider or cooking.
RIPENS LATE SEPTEMBER-EARLY OCTOBER ZONE 3 |
HONEYCRISP (Standard & semi-dwarf)
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Honeycrisp Apples are one of America’s favorites thanks to their crisp, crunchy exterior and delectably juicy interior. Excellent storage life, up to 7 months. Ripens in mid season but stores like a late season variety.
RIPENS SEPTEMBER ZONE 3 |
HONEYGOLD (SEMI-DWARF)
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Medium to large yellow-green apples are crisp, sweet, and juicy. An excellent variety for fresh eating and cooking. Honeygold has a medium storage life.
RIPENS OCTOBER ZONE 4 |
KINDERKRISP (semi -dwarf)
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New apple variety with exceptional flavor and crisp texture. Likes its parent Honeycrisp, this early ripening apple features smaller fruit. A perfect size for snacking or lunchboxes.
RIPENS LATE AUGUST ZONE 4 |
MCINTOSH (STANDARD & SEMI-DWARF)
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Moderately large fruit with an appetizing apple aroma. Tree is a vigorous grower and a precocious bearer. Fruit is vibrant-red, thin, and peels easily and flesh is tender with a sprightly sweet-tart taste. Wonderful apple for fresh-eating, sauces, and cider. Good keeper in proper storage.
RIPENS SEPTEMBER ZONE 4 |
STATE FAIR
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The medium-sized fruit is a show-stopper with brilliant red and orange stripes over a bright yellow base. The flesh is creamy, juicy and somewhat firmer than most early season apples. Its sweet, aromatic flesh makes for good fresh eating. It cooks up fairly quickly into a sauce that is coarse and a bit tart with some hints of lemon.
RIPENS MID TO LATE AUGUST ZONE 4 |
sweet sixteen
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Developed by the University of Minnesota, this is one of the best-tasting, sweetest, cold-hardy apples. Sweet Sixteen is super sweet with a richly complex flavor—similar to vanilla with just a hint of molasses and fine bourbon. It's a taste-treat like no other. Extra hardy and long lived.
RIPENS MID-LATE SEPTEMBER ZONE 3 |
TRIUMPH
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A pleasantly tart and well balanced apple with good storage life. Excellent for fresh eating. Ready to harvest in late September, similar or slightly later than its parent, Honeycrisp. Excellent scab tolerance.
RIPENS LATE SEPTEMBER ZONE 4 |
wINECRISP (Semi-dwarf)
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Medium sized dark red apple with cream colored flesh, juicy with tangy notes of citrus and spice. This apple has excellent storage abilities, up to six months in cold storage. It also has good disease resistance to fireblight, scab, and powdery mildew.
RIPENS OCTOBER ZONE 4 |
WOLF RIVER
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Another old time favorite, this variety of apple is scab, rust, fireblight and mildew resistant, and also very hardy. Very large, pale yellow green with a red blush, these apples are excellent for cooking.
RIPENS IN SEPTEMBER ZONE 4 |
ZESTAR (standard & semi- dwarf)
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Early ripening large, bright red apple with green blush that was introduced in 1999 by the University of Minnesota. Very tasty and juicy, with a crisp texture and a hint of brown sugar flavor. Exceptional extended storage life, up to 2 months in the refrigerator!
RIPENS LATE AUGUST-EARLY SEPTEMBER ZONE 4 |