– Christine Gelley, Agriculture and Natural Resources Educator, Noble County OSU Extension
January is a common month where gardeners with cabin fever start itching to garden and thumbing through seed and nursery catalogs. Once you start browsing all the options on the market of things to grow from vegetables to fruits to flowers, it is astonishing how many different varieties of plants there are to choose from. Even just narrowing it down to your favorite green bean variety can take up an afternoon!
A common type of fruit crop that often comes up in my interactions with landowners is apples. Sometimes the landowner already has apple trees growing and needs help with management and sometimes they are starting fresh and wondering what to plant. The latter is easier for me to provide advice. Today I will share some of that advice with you.
It is important to note that like many parts of Ohio, Noble County soils tend to be heavy and don’t provide ideal drainage for fruit trees, but that doesn’t mean you can’t grow them successfully! You will want to avoid planting fruit trees in any areas where water pools during a rain event. This is important beyond drainage. Fungal diseases that thrive in wet environments are extremely common with apple trees, so you will want to choose varieties that are resistant/tolerant of fungal pathogens.
The best advice I can offer on variety selection is to choose apples from the list provided in OSU Extension’s “Growing Apples in the Home Orchard” fact sheet. It is accessible online at: https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/hyg-1401. This fact sheet authored by OSU Fruit Specialists lists the following as Apple-Scab Resistant Cultivars for Home Orchards in Ohio.
| Apple Cultivar | Ripening Season | Bloom Season | Brief Description of Cultivar |
| Pristine | Early | Early | Fruit is medium to large in size and has a canary-yellow color, often with a blush. Texture is fine. Flavor is somewhat tart, excellent for cooking or fresh eating. The cultivar is field immune to apple scab, highly resistant to powdery mildew, resistant to cedar apple rust, and moderately resistant to fire blight. Pollinates with Pristine, Williams’ Pride, Redfree, Jonafree and Liberty. |
| Williams’ Pride | Early | Mid | Fruit is medium to large in size, slightly striped with dark red to purple red. Flesh is firm, very juicy, and spicy. It keeps very well. It is good for fresh eating and cooking. The cultivar is field immune to apple scab and apple rusts, and is resistant to powdery mildew and fire blight. Pollinates with other mid- and late-blooming cultivars. |
| Redfree | Early | Mid | Fruit is medium sized with bright red color. Flesh is firm with good texture. Flavor is sweet and aromatic. Fruit stores one month or more in refrigeration. It is good for fresh eating and cooking. The cultivar is field immune to apple scab and cedar apple rust, and is moderately resistant to powdery mildew. It has good resistance to fire blight. Pollinates with other mid- and late-blooming cultivars. |
| Jonafree | Mid | Mid | Fruit is medium in size with a 75-90% medium red blush. Flesh is firm, crisp, and moderately rich in flavor. Its flavor is similar to Jonathan and good for fresh eating, sauce, pies, and cider. It is not prone to bitter pit or Jonathan spot. The cultivar is field immune to scab, and is less susceptible to powdery mildew, fire blight, and cedar apple rust than Jonathan. Pollinates with Goldrush or Enterprise. |
| Liberty | Mid | Mid | Fruit is medium in size and is mostly red-striped over a greenish-yellow background. Flesh is white, fine-textured, crisp and juicy. Flavor is very good, sprightly, subacid and sweet. Good for eating fresh, cooking, canning and desserts. The cultivar is highly resistant to apple scab, and is resistant to cedar apple rust and fire blight. It is moderately resistant to powdery mildew. Pollinates with other mid and late blooming cultivars. |
| Enterprise | Late | Mid to late | Fruit is large in size. It has a bright red and glossy finish. It is firm and crisp. Its flavor is spicy and juicy. It is good for fresh eating and cooking. It stores well if refrigerated. The cultivar is field immune to apple scab, is moderately resistant to powdery mildew, and is highly resistant to cedar apple rust and fire blight. Pollinates with Goldrush, Gala and Golden Delicious. |
| Goldrush | Late | Late | Fruit is large in size, firm, very crisp. The yellow fruit is semi-tart and juicy and has exceptional storage life. It is good for fresh eating and cooking. It is field immune to apple scab, moderately resistant to powdery mildew, and highly resistant to fire blight. Pollinates with Enterprise, Gala and Golden Delicious. |
The fact sheet states that it is important to remember, all apple cultivars are considered self-incompatible, meaning that they cannot pollinate themselves or any flowers of the same cultivar. Growers will need to plant at least two different cultivars of apple trees together in order to achieve maximum fruit yield and quality. In addition, the two cultivars selected need to have viable pollen and bloom at the same time to ensure successful pollination.
For additional assistance with planning an apple tree planting, feel free to reach out to your local OSU Extension office.