Heirloom Apple Trees

I plan to graft many different heirloom apple trees this spring. Grafting means that you take a dormant 1/4" diameter branch off a tree whose variety you wish to grow and graft it onto a rootstock. Growing apple trees from seed doesn't give you a very good tree, so people have been grafting fruit trees for a long long time. The cut from the piece off the tree (scion wood) has to match the cut on the root stock and then be sealed with putty and tape so oxygen can't penetrate the cut. I have found some cool videos on Youtube demonstrating this. You can view one here.

The varieties I will be grafting on M26 rootstock are:

Early Strawberry Origin: New York 1800 Ripens: Jun/July Zone: 3 - 6 It is very similar in appearance to another early apple, Early Red Margaret, with the two often mistaken. Fruit is medium sized and often has unequal sides. The smooth, thick skin is light greenish-yellow with fine stripes and splashes of bright red. The tender, crisp, juicy flesh is white and often stained with red when eating.

Oriole Origin: Minnesota 1949 Ripens: July/Aug Zone: 3 - 6 Yellow skin, striped red. Parentage: Yellow Transparent, Liveland Raspberry. An excellent quality dessert or cooking apple. Tree is extremely productive, and extremely to very hardy.

Yellow Transparent Origin: Russia (Europe 1870) Ripens: July/Aug Zone: 3 - 6 Medium to large fruit with transparent pale yellow skin. Crisp, sweet and juicy, but has a very short life after ripening on or off the tree. Often picked in a greener stage for cooking. Excellent for sauce, pie and drying. Bears very young and heavily. Thin for best size.

Sweet 16 Origin: Ripens: Sept Zone: 3 - 6 Uniquely flavored sweet, crisp apple with good storage qualities.

Pink Pearl Origin: California Ripens: Sept Zone: 3 - 6 A pink-fleshed, pearly-skinned apple that is not just a novelty, but a good tasting apple with firm flesh. Tart to sweet-tart, depending on time of harvest. Blooms very attractive. Makes pink applesauce and attractive fruit tarts. An Albert Etter introduction.

Golden Russet Origin: New York prior to 1845 Ripens: Oct Zone: 3 - 6 An old American cider apple, also good for eating and drying, and attractive for a russet. Tree medium to large, fruit medium to above. The sugary, dense flesh of this apple is the essence of the European reinettes.

Melrose Origin: Ohio 1944 (Jonathan x Delicious) Ripens: Oct Zone: 3 - 6 Large, homely fruit with yellowish-green skin streaked red with russet spots. The flesh is firm, coarse, sweet, juicy and creamy white. One of the best keepers of all time, whose flavor improves in storage (best after Christmas). Very good for pie and baking. Should be grown in full sun for best quality, susceptible to scab. Bears well every year.

Golden Noble Origin: England 1820 Ripens: Zone: 4 - 7 Very handsome pure yellow fruit with creamy white flesh and excellent texture. One of the best cooking apples with high acid and an extremely good fruity flavor. Trees are upright, spreading and moderately vigorous. A special garden tree because of the clear yellow glow of the apples in green foliage. Partial tip bearer.

Golden Russet Origin: New York prior to 1845 Ripens: Oct Zone: 3 - 6 An old American cider apple, also good for eating and drying, and attractive for a russet. Tree medium to large, fruit medium to above. The sugary, dense flesh of this apple is the essence of the European reinettes.

Sierra Beauty (This one I ordered the TREE)Origin: California Ripens: Oct Zone: 3 - 6 Large, handsome apple with thin green and yellow skin, striped or blushed red. A favorite apple from Boonville, CA. Juicy, very crisp and tart. A good seller in farm markets and an excellent keeper. The tree is compact.

Hudsons Golden Gem Origin: Oregon 1930 Ripens: Oct/Nov Zone: 3 - 6 Fruit conical, elongated, yellow russet. Perhaps the finest eating russet with crisp breaking sugary flesh and distinct pear flavor. Quite disease resistant to apple scab, powdery mildew and somewhat resistant to fire blight.

Trees I have already ESTABLISHED (had a couple fruits on them last year):

Honeycrisp Origin: Minnesota 1991 (Macoun x Honeygold) Patent #7917 Ripens: Sept/Oct Zone: 3 - 6 Skin is mottled red over yellow. The flesh is very crisp and is excellent for eating. Good keeper - up to 5 months. Topped with McIntosh and Delicious for fresh eating in taste tests.

Gala

NORTHWEST GREENING Nice older tree in my orchard. Similar to Granny Smith in color & flavor. Excellent cooking & pie apple ripening in LATE September - EARLY OCTOBER. Large green apples are crisp, sweet-tart and Excellent keeper. Trees are resistant to blight & rust. STORES ABOUT 2-3 MONTHS. ANNUAL BEARING