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Apple Tree Recommendations for South Lake Tahoe Zone 6b

GardenBuggy
9 years ago

Hello,
I live in South Lake Tahoe, CA and am looking for some apple tree recommendations for my zone 6b. I am looking for a really great tasting sweet/tart apple (for fresh eating and baking) that will grow well here. There are a lot of cedar trees around so I want to find a more disease resistant tree.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thank you!

Comments (16)

  • fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
    9 years ago

    My Ginger Gold this yr were the best apples I've grown in 10 yrs. Sweet/tart and 16.5 brix. Large fruit with a long harvest period. But doesn't hold long without going mealy. The Golden Delicious I'm harvesting now are nearly as good and many yrs are better.

  • appleseed70
    9 years ago

    Fruitnut, both those varieties are listed as "very susceptible" to CAR.

    The only apple trees I'm aware of with wide range DR that includes CAR are William's Pride ,Liberty, Redfree, and Priscilla.
    There are many more DR varieties, but for some reason most are not resistant to CAR and in fact, many are susceptible, some very susceptible.
    There are others that are CAR resistant, but may be susceptible to other things like scab etc. These would include:
    Mcintosh and it's variants Jerseymac, Novamac etc

    Winesap (not Stayman)

    Paulared

    Sundance

    Newtown Pippin

    Macoun (beautiful apple)

    Haralson (pretty rounded DR)

    Grimes Golden

    Red delicious (disgusting apple imo)

    Empire (good apple but susceptible to scab)

    Dayton (pretty good overall DR)

    You would have to read a lot of reviews to determine for yourself whether any of these would fit the flavor profile and other attributes that you desire.

    My choice would be William's Pride although I'm not sure about the sweet aspect of it (having never eaten one), but have seen taste reviews describing it as sweet/tart.
    I say WP would be my choice, because it is a apple I've selected for next year...in large part because of it's CAR resistance.

  • appleseed70
    9 years ago

    BTW Gardenbuggy...I for one think you are being wise by choosing a variety resistant to CAR. Good on you to know that it would be an issue and taking this into consideration.

    William's Pride BTW is also an early apple and is reported to be good for baking, pies, sauce etc as well as fresh eating. All these things combined really narrow down the potential candidates and WP will meet the criteria.
    Flavor on the other hand is for you to decide. It is also very suitable to your zone.

  • fireballsocal
    9 years ago

    I think sierra beauty might be exactly what you're looking for with regards to taste and uses. I'm not sure about CAR susceptibility though.

  • appleseed70
    9 years ago

    Fireball, that does sound like a good suggestion, especially given gardenbuggy's location.
    I am a bit curious about the DR, because like you, I was unable to find anything at all about it's resistance to any disease. Usually if a apple is good and also has some DR, it is seldom overlooked in descriptions.

  • fireballsocal
    9 years ago

    Yup. That Tahoe location made me immediately think of Sierra Beauty and its history in our mountains. It's a variety I would like to try adding to my small assemblage of fruit trees (full disclosure, I haven't tried the fruit myself). I looked at kufflecreek, trees of antiquity and orangepippin and couldn't find any info on disease resistance. I believe, because of its very limited availability, most of the apple info sites are just regurgitating each others descriptions while not having tasted or grown the fruit.

  • appleseed70
    9 years ago

    Yeah...that's what I found too, but I did find a number of other sites where it was listed. Just like you say, it was obvious that everyone was copying one another's descriptions. One site however did say it was not self fertile, where most others indicated it was. Kinda rare for an apple.
    I think it did mention it could be fertilized by another of the same because as a seedling there was enough genetic diversity. I found that odd, because obviously they aren't growing it from seed now.

  • bob_z6
    9 years ago

    Last weekend, I took notes on the health of my different apples leaves. Of the 35+ varieties graded, here are the ones with the healthiest leaves. I've got plenty of CAR around (it hits Goldrush pretty hard) and haven't sprayed any fungicide, so it may address your question:

    Old Nonpareil
    WIlliam's Pride

    Ross Nonpareil
    Sundance
    Red Boskoop
    Grimes Golden
    Priscilla
    St Edmunds Russet
    Pomme Gris
    Court Pendu Plat

  • appleseed70
    9 years ago

    Bob...good to see William's Pride is living up to it's billing. I've selected it for addition to my little orchard this year. How would you describe the flavor Bob?

    BTW...Goldrush is the only tree I have with CAR issues as well.

  • bob_z6
    9 years ago

    William's Pride is pretty good for its season- here it starts in the 2nd week of August and finishes by the end of the month. The first are a bit tart (probably border-line ripe) and by the end they get sweeter, sometimes with a bit of watercore. I like those late apples, but by then I'm getting better apples from Priscilla, with Sweet Sixteen (one notch down on leaf health, but note bad) around the corner. WP's flavor is a bit like Liberty, except much earlier. Liberty does build up higher brix levels (~16-17 vs 12-14 off the top of my head- I can look at my notes later).

    Priscilla is an interesting option for late Aug and early September. This is the 3rd bearing year for me. The first crop (on a 2nd year tree) was a small crop of tasty apples. Then last year, I had some more tasty ones, while other fell off early and were mushy. This year, they were uniformly good, with an interesting (a hint of anise?) sweet flavor and good crunch. Most were in the 14-16 brix range. While that is lower than Liberty, they have less acid and seem sweeter. The one thing which makes me a bit hesitant to recommend it to you is that I'm not sure if it was our cooler summer this year that kept them from falling off early- I'm guessing that your area may consistently have hotter summers.

  • appleseed70
    9 years ago

    I considered Priscilla and can't remember now what made me eliminate it. I hear more and more of the water coring issue with William's Pride all the time. PRI's own literature noted it's tendencies for it.
    Interesting that you mention the hint of anise...I just posted about my Honeycrisp having a hint of licorice flavor...as you say...just a hint and almost undetectable, but definitely there. I've never noted this in any HC I've ever eaten.
    I've seen several YT videos of guys picking WP and they were so pretty. Very deep dark purple, but most I've seen were dark red over green...either way a pretty apple.
    I need an early apple and I wanted CAR resistance...so WP fit the bill.

  • bob_z6
    9 years ago

    William's Pride is definitely a pretty apple- dark red with an almost purple bloom which shines very nicely.

    One factor in Priscialla's favor is that it seems to bear pretty reliably. Several other of my oldest trees set sparse crops this year (including Goldrush, WP, and no crop at all on Sweet Sixteen).

    But, if you are going to do a full spray program (like I see in your Honeycrisp thread), the natural resistances won't matter as much. Zestar is a very good summer apple to try (an early Honeycrisp). I've only had it from farmer's markets, but have ordered it for next spring.

  • fruitnut Z7 4500ft SW TX
    9 years ago

    I don't recommend fruits I haven't eaten off my trees. I broke that rule a couple times and felt stupid later saying I didn't like it. No one knows what will happen somewhere else. So all I can say is what I've seen.

  • bob_z6
    9 years ago

    Point taken. In this case, I agree that there could be some issue in growing it that I'm not exposed to as a consumer (for example, I've read that Zestar is not scab resistant, which is why I've waited this long to add it). But, often I find the FM offerings much lower quality (taste-wise, my fruit is often pretty ugly) than what I grow. So, when I find something there that is as good or better than what I've grown I am impressed and want to add it.

  • appleseed70
    9 years ago

    Bob...in my decision on William's Pride, I was actually down to two finalists and Zestar was the runner-up. I know it's a great apple but it was it's lesser DR and the fact that it was 2 weeks later that finally pushed WP over the top. To be honest, I was also drawn a little bit to the fact that WP looks a lot different than the ones I already have.
    2 weeks isn't much, but it was still 2 weeks. If I was willing to sacrifice the 2 week wait for Zestar, I could wait another 2 weeks and get something even better...and on and on. All the best apples are the late ones it seems.
    As for spraying, my experience is that just because you spray for something, it's no guarantee you won't get it. I like the two pronged approach of DR varieties coupled with a good spray program.

  • GardenBuggy
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thank you all for your helpful recommendations! I will look into the varieties you suggested. I appreciate all your advice!