Winter varieties of apples for growing on a personal plot
Admiring the snowfall, it is so pleasant to sit with a warm blanket over your shoulders and crunch juicy fresh apples. But in order to always have supplies of fruit in the house, winter varieties of apples must grow in the garden. After all, only they are able to be stored until the next harvest, without losing their taste and gradually revealing it. At a time when everyone has long forgotten about summer apples, and autumn ones are already beginning to deteriorate, late species do not care.
Winter apple varieties - general classification
Late apples almost never ripen on the branches - the harvest is harvested at the stage of removable maturity.
At this point, the fruit may not taste good, but it should be. They acquire sugar content and aroma during storage, after a couple of months, accumulating starch and protopectin.
In addition to winter hardiness and long-term storage, among the advantages of winter varieties it is worth noting:
- Versatility of use. Fruits can be eaten fresh, or made from them in various preservation.
- Persistent and distinct aroma that does not disappear even at the end of storage.
- A dense skin that protects the apple from possible damage. Moreover, the pulp also has a dense structure.
- Elastic fruits tolerate transportation well, which is important when growing them for sale.
Depending on when the harvest ripens, winter apples are divided into three groups:
- early or early winter - can be removed towards the end of September;
- just winter - removed from the branches in early October;
- late winter - the harvest is harvested in October and even at the beginning of November.
Among them there are both green and red varieties, but there are many more of the former. Basically, winter fruits are colored in different shades of red during storage.
It is advisable to have in the garden several varieties of each group with different ripening periods. Then the supply of fruit will not run out all year round. And it is best to store them in the cellar.
Read about planting columnar apple trees!
Winter varieties of early ripening apples
The very first, in September, are the early winter apples. They can be stored for about 3 months, but some varieties can last until mid-winter. To do this, they must be properly packaged so that the fruits do not come into contact with each other. And the most important thing is to take it to a cool room.
Of the early species, the following apple trees are planted:
- Antonovka ordinary;
- Aphrodite;
- In memory of Esaul.
Early maturing varieties are not very popular. They are grown most often for consumption soon.
Although for cold regions this is the most suitable option. In warmer climates, it is much more beneficial to have several late-ripening apple trees.
Antonovka ordinary
Some gardeners claim that this variety does not exist. Actually apple tree Antonovka has long become a type. It has many varieties with different ripening periods, even summer ones (Antonovka golden). Winter Antonovka ripens by about mid-September - it all depends on the climate of the growing region. It is a vigorous tree up to 10 m high with a spherical crown.Fruiting occurs no earlier than 6 years of age, but every year it becomes more and more abundant. You can speed up the process by grafting Antonovka on a dwarf stock. Then the first apples will be tied in the third year.
The fruits are large enough, weighing 150-200 g. The shape is round, with pronounced ribbing in the lower part and a rusty funnel. They are green-yellow when removed, but turn yellow during storage. The creamy pulp is fragrant and juicy, but with a pronounced sourness that does not disappear, which not everyone likes. Apples can be stored in the basement for up to 4 months.
The variety is also often called late autumn, especially in the south, where it ripens earlier. In addition, in warm regions, the harvest is stored for a couple of weeks less.
Aphrodite
One of the new high performance table varieties. It is resistant to drought and frost and is immune to scab. High yields are maintained every year, and the whole tree can live up to 60 years. Moreover, it is distinguished by accelerated fruiting - the first harvest will be already 4 years old. The trees themselves are large, up to 10 m high, fast-growing, with a rounded crown.
Small apples are harvested in the second half of September and consumed after 3 weeks. During this time, the striped raspberry blush on the green oily skin becomes richer. The pulp is juicy, sweet and sour, white with pink veins - a feature of the variety. The shelf life of fruits does not exceed 3 months.
Aphrodite is a self-fertile variety and needs pollination to obtain a rich harvest. The winter varieties Kurnakovskoe and Stroyevskoe successfully cope with these.
In memory of Esaul
A medium-sized tree with high winter hardiness, as well as drought and scab resistance. The fruits are harvested in the second decade of September, after a month they reach consumer maturity. In a cool room, the crop can be stored until February.
The apples are large, up to 200 g in weight, elongated, with a truncated top and weak ribbing. The skin is oily texture, with a waxy coating. The main color is green, with a purple blush on the side. The pulp is greenish-white, juicy. Moderately firm at first, but tender when fully ripe. A pleasant sourness is felt in the taste.
The variety is not only high-yielding, but also fast-growing - the first apples are harvested for 3 years already.
Winter apple varieties with medium ripening
Such fruits are stored up to a maximum of mid-spring. But on the other hand, natural vitamins will be at hand throughout the cold season.
Most often in the gardens you can find the following winter apple trees:
- Golden Delicious;
- Breburn;
- Granny Smith;
- Sinap Orlovsky.
Golden Delicious
A fast-growing productive variety of universal use. However, it has an average resistance to frost and disease. The trees are medium-sized, bloom in medium terms, and the harvest is harvested towards the end of September.
Fruits are on average about 150 g, slightly elongated. At the stage of removal, they are colored greenish, when ripe they turn yellow. Ripe apples show a reddish mesh and a pale blush. Under the dense skin there is a juicy solid yellow pulp. Its sweet taste is a bit like a pear.
The variety is self-infertile, needs pollinators with the same flowering time (Simirenko, Jonathan, Idared).
Breburn
The variety of New Zealand selection is distinguished by its early maturity, high yields and excellent taste. Medium-sized trees are scab resistant, bloom late. Withstand frosts down to minus 25 ° С. They are a universal pollinator for winter apple trees. Fruits are elongated, sometimes ribbed, with a two-colored orange-red color. The pulp is firm, crunchy, sweet, can have a slight tart note.
Breburn ripens in September, a couple of weeks later than Golden Delicious.
Granny Smith
The variety is famous for its excellent taste, but acquires it only after storage for two months. The trees themselves are compact in size, up to 3.5 m high, with a spherical crown.For the first 5 years they are actively growing, so they need shaping pruning. Growth rates are gradually slowing down. The variety is partially self-fertile, it is desirable to have pollinators nearby. Resistance to frost is good, at minus 25 ° С, but to drought and diseases - at an average level.
A full harvest is removed after 5 years of life at the end of September. Fruits are large, up to 200 g in weight, with a dense skin and firm pulp, colored green. Although juicy, the fruit is sour.
After reaching 20 years of age, the yield decreases.
Sinap Orlovsky
A variety resistant to unfavorable weather conditions. Trees up to 4 m high, with a wide spreading crown. Harvested at the end of September and stored until spring. The fruits are large, about 200 g in weight, green in color with a slight blush. The pulp is juicy, sweet, with an unobtrusive pleasant sourness.
Winter apple varieties of late ripening
Late apples have the longest shelf life. In a cool place, for example, in a cellar, they will remain until the end of May. And some varieties are completely capable of being stored until the next harvest.
Gardeners appreciate the following late varieties of apples:
- Sinap Alma-Ata;
- Fuji;
- Gloucester;
- Red Chief;
- North Sinap.
Sinap Alma-Ata
A vigorous tree with a broadly spreading crown has powerful branches. The variety will delight you with a high and stable yield, disease resistance and early fruiting. The first apples ripen in the fourth year of life, do not crumble. They are harvested in the last decade of September, and stored until the end of spring.
The apples are large, of an unusual oblong shape, with a dense, oily skin of green color. When ripe, it becomes golden with a pale blush. The yellowish pulp smells good, juicy, with a subtle sour note.
Despite the advantages of the variety, its resistance to frost and drought is average.
Fuji
The trees are vigorous, up to 9 m high, but amenable to shaping. AND graft on a dwarf stock allows you to get compact apple trees with a height of 2 to 4 m. The variety is suitable not only for the south of the country, but also for the middle zone. It blooms late, which eliminates the risk of freezing of flower buds from recurrent frosts. And it also has high frost resistance and can withstand temperatures down to minus 25 ° C. The fruits are round, with a thin skin of a striped red color. The flesh is creamy, crispy and sweet and sour.
Of the disadvantages of Fuji, it is worth highlighting the tendency to damage by powdery mildew and bacterial burns.
Gloucester
Represents the best winter varieties of apples stored until spring. Consumer maturity occurs precisely during storage. Therefore, apples are consumed mainly fresh.
The variety of German selection will delight you with an annual high fruiting and resistance to powdery mildew.
But high yields can only be obtained in warm climates. For cold regions, Gloucester is not adapted with its frost resistance no higher than 20 ° C frost.
Fruits are large, dark red, weighing up to 200 g. Conical shape, ribbed. The pulp is sweet and sour, tender, but moderately juicy, greenish-creamy.
Red Chief
An American variety known for its large and tasty fruits and early maturity. Medium apple trees grow quickly and yield a harvest already at 2 years of age. They have good frost resistance but can suffer from disease and drought.
The fruits are stored for up to 8 months, the weight of one apple is about 200 g, but there are specimens of 400 g each. The firm glossy skin is completely covered with a blurred red blush and subcutaneous dots. The pulp is greenish, sweet, medium juicy.
North synap
A medium-sized tree is resistant to scab and has increased winter hardiness. Medium-sized fruits, harvested in early October. The apple tree also begins to bear fruit late, from the age of 7, but then annually gives high and stable yields. The apples are not very large, green with a brownish blush.The white pulp is juicy, but not very dense, with a slight sourness.
The best winter-hardy apple trees
Most winter apple trees also flower late, so it is important that they are frost-resistant. And cold winters can significantly reduce yield indicators. Therefore, winter-hardy varieties that can be grown in any region are especially appreciated by gardeners.
Among the winter types of apples with high winter hardiness, it is worth noting such:
- Lobo with red juicy fruits;
- Champion with striped red fruits with sweet-sour juicy pulp;
- winter Ranetka with small sour apples;
- early winter wellsie, painted with wide red stripes;
- Antaeus with sweet and sour green fruits, covered with a red blurry blush;
- Auxis with burgundy apples;
- New cinnamon with striped sweet and sour fruits;
- Bashkir handsome man with hard and slightly bitter apples.