Growing Apples in Zone 6B

Apples are a favorite fruit in America. From mom’s apple pie to the tale of Johnny Appleseed we love our apples.

Apples were popular long before America became a country. Wild “crab” apple varieties were common around the world and domestication began about 8,000 years ago.

Now that they have achieved world domination new varieties are being developed to succeed in certain climates and pest conditions. Thanks to botanists and the popularity of the apple, there’s an abundance of trees to choose from.

This article will walk you through choosing an apple variety, my favorites, apple pests, and diseases.

Can I Grow Apples Organically?

YES! You can definitely grow apples organically.

Apples have a reputation for being hard to grow. The truth is that is because people often pick a variety that is not well suited to their climate.

Many botanists, including extension agents, will say it’s impossible to grow apples without dousing them with chemicals several times a year.

Don’t listen to them. It is possible to grow healthy and productive apple trees using organic methods.

Choosing an Apple Variety

Choosing the right variety is the first step in growing healthy apples. Apples are not one size fits all. Different varieties do well (or not so well in different climates)

To help you decide take the time to read tree descriptions in catalogs, talk to your local extension horticulturist, or ask neighbors what varieties they have that are doing well.

In addition, to choosing apples that will do well in your area there are several types of apples. Apples are often grouped by those best for storing, cooking, eating fresh, or making cider. So give some thought to what you want to do with your apples.

You can go with a commercial hybrid variety that has been bred to be hardy. Commercial varieties have been bred to be easy to care for and good shippers so they get to market looking nice.

Heirloom or antique apples are those that have been around for a while and continue to be popular because they taste good. Many have been developed for certain regions and will excel in the right zone.

Gala apple blossums. Photo by Ame Vanorio

Soil

Apples need deep well-drained soils with a pH between 6.0 – 7.0.

Having good fertile well-drained soil is a must for an apple orchard. We talk more about amending soil when planting fruit trees in our blog Growing Fruit Trees in Zone 6B.

Spring Frosts

Your overall winter temperatures are important but not nearly as much as your last spring frosts. Spring frosts and blossom times are very important considerations when growing fruits.

If the buds open on the tree and you have a heavy frost then the blossoms drop, and you don’t get much fruit that season. Open blossoms are killed at temps below 28 degrees Fahrenheit.

In my area that is why peaches and sweet cherries can be hard to grow because of late spring frosts.

Cross-Pollination

Apples cross-pollinate. That means you need at least two different apple species, in order to get fruits. Some apples are promoted as self-fruitful but they always do much better with a friend.

To complicate matters the apple varieties need to bloom in the same time frame so that this can happen. This is especially important if you are placing your orchard in a small space and may only have two or three trees.

So, when choosing apple varieties look up the time span for the variety to have open blossoms. Many universities publish a chart to tell what varieties cross-pollinate others in your area.

My Favorite Zone 6B Varieties of Apple Trees

1.         Cox Orange Pippin

This is my very favorite apple tree. In part, I must admit because it was a beloved tree in the garden of Roald Dahl. Dahl is one of my favorite children’s authors and was an accomplished gardener and cook.

The Cox Orange Pippin is a hardy tree that is pest resistant.  Pippins have been popular in breeding programs because they pass on those hardy traits.

The fruit is fantastic for eating fresh and is sweet, crunchy, and has hints of tropical mango. They ripen in mid to late September. They don’t store well, but ours never last that long anyway!

If you are interested in espalier, they are well suited for training to a wall or wires.

2. Gala

Gala is a recommended variety for Zone 6 growers. It is one of the most popular cultivars grown. The apples are sweet and smell heavenly.

The trees produce abundant amounts of smaller fruits that do need to be thinned. I did not thin one year and had very small apples, so I learned my lesson.

They are considered a fresh eating apple and not considered a great cooking apple, however, I’ve used them for applesauce and it was delicious. 

3. Granny Smith

This common variety is very hardy and resistant to many rusts and fungal diseases. The fruits store well. Just a few reasons they are so popular with commercial growers.

Granny Smith has a tart flavor. They are great for baking and I love to use them in pies. Sometimes I combine them with sweeter apples.

4. Liberty

The Liberty apple was developed to be a hardy disease-resistant tree which is one reason I purchased this variety.

They are resistant to a number of apple diseases including my nemesis fire blight. My Liberty has avoided problems that have affected other trees in my orchard.

Liberty has a sweet-tart flavor They can and cook up well however they don’t store very well.

Liberty apple. Photo by Ame Vanorio

Trees That Don’t Do Well for Me

1.      Honeycrisp

I love the taste of Honeycrisp apples! I’ve tried to grow them twice and both times have lost the trees to fire blight. They have a reputation as being resistant to blights, but I have not had any success.

Pruning

Pruning is important because you want your trees to have good airflow around the branches. This helps to keep them free of diseases.

In fact, I started planting my newer trees farther apart than recommended because I was having issues with fire blight in my orchard.

Pruning also allows the sun to come into the tree so that it reaches the maturing leaves.

Prune apples in late winter while your tree is still dormant.

Use pruners and loppers that are sharp so that they make a nice clean cut. Between trees you should clean the blades off with rubbing alcohol, so you don’t spread any diseases.

How to Tell What to Prune

Apples grow best in a central leader style. This means they will have a single straight trunk and the branches should grow at a 45-degree angle.

You probably will not need to prune apples until the third year.

If pruning intimidates you keep in mind two things. First pruning helps the tree’s overall health. Second pruning invigorates the trees growth.

When you prune you want to remove

• Dead or diseased branches.

• Branches growing on the lower part of the trunk.

• Branches that grow inward towards the trunk

• Branches bending around the tree instead of growing up and out

Thinning Fruit

Once your tree becomes productive, it may be necessary to thin the fruit. This is true in some varieties more than others such as Galas. Thinning leads to larger and healthier fruit.

Sometimes apples will naturally drop fruits so don’t be surprised if you see immature fruits on the ground in June. You should inspect the tree if this happens.

You want to thin your apples so that they’re about 6-inches apart.

If you don’t thin the trees, they may begin to produce only every other year.

In addition, too many fruits cause crowding which can lead to disease. While thinning take this time to examine your fruits and look for any potential problems.

While thinning fruits make sure your hands and tools are kept clean so you dont spread any pathogens.

Apple tree fruits often need thininng to produce full sized healthy apples. Photo by Ame Vanorio

Apple Problems and Solutions

Good management goes a long way to help prevent diseases.

Pruning helps prevent diseases and pests from spreading.

Don’t let fallen fruit rot on the ground. Dispose of it or feed it to livestock.

Plant a cover crop such as clover so that dirt/mud doesn’t splash up on trees during the wet season.

Mow or use sheep to eat perennial weeds that harbor insects

Apple Pests

Codling Moth

The Codling moth

The larvae of the codling moth are considered a serious orchard threat and cause your apples to fall off the tree. If your apples have “worms” this is the pest.

The adult codling moth lays her egg at the top of an apple. The eggs hatch and the larvae burrow down into the fruit.

When the apple falls from the tree, the larvae crawl out and hide in the soil. They then emerge as an adult to repeat the process. Typically, two generations hatch out each season.

Having chickens in the orchard can help reduce populations as they readily eat the larvae. Trichogramma wasps are also good natural predators.

Use organic controls such as Monterey Insect Spray.

Hanging sticky traps also works well to catch the flying adults.

Apple Maggot

Apple maggots are widespread throughout the USA. The adult flies overwinter in the soil. They emerge in spring and lay eggs under the skin of young apples.

The eggs hatch into small white larvae which tunnel down into the fruit. When the fruit falls, they go into a pupae stage and crawl into the soil. There is just one generation per season.

To control, clean up around your trees and don’t let fruit rot on the ground.

Place sticky traps in your tree in early spring and use a spray containing kaolin clay such as Surround.

Spray with Spinosad after petal fall. Don’t spray when you have pollinators working.

I have two free downloads in the store to help you!

Gypsy Moth

The gypsy moth is an invasive species that eats everything including leaves, flowers, and fruits on fruit trees. Unfortunately, they are not picky at all.

This is a case where wildlife is your friend. The caterpillar stage is a food source for birds, squirrels, and opossums. In addition, the eggs are eaten by wasps and flies.

You can destroy the eggs. Sticky traps can help catch adults.

Gypsy moth caterpiller

Apple Fungal Diseases

Apple Scab

Apple scab is a fungus caused by Venturia inaequalis and is considered one of the biggest threats to apple crops. The fungus affects most of the tree including leaves, buds, blossoms, and fruit.

It has the ability to totally defoliate a tree. The fruits remain eatable however they have scabs and a malformed shape.

Studies have shown that trees with a healthy mineral content are less susceptible to scab. I spray my trees with kelp to make sure they are getting enough minerals.

I also like Michael Phillips’ Holistic Spray Schedule

Good orchard cleanup is important because the pathogen overwinters in the fallen leaves.

In extensive cases, you may need to spray with a lime-sulfur mix.

Fire Blight

This is the fruit tree disease that I battle in my Kentucky 6B orchard. I can tell you I’ve tried many control practices and sometimes I still lose trees like my Honeycrisp’s. It affects my apples but also my pear trees.

Fire blight is a bacteria that attacks blossoms, fruits, leaves, and branches of growing trees. I think if you can support a young tree in the first few years then they can fight it off as they become older.

The bacterium overwinters in cankers that it forms on branches and trunks. You can prune out these branches and destroy them. If you burn keep the fire away from the orchard.

While pruning it’s important to disinfect your tools in between trees.

Pick resistant varieties such as Liberty and William’s Pride. Have good airflow and never use overhead watering.

Having a clean orchard is important. Clean up and remove fallen fruits and branches.

Serenade and Neem Oil are two good organic controls.

Fire blight on tree

Harvesting and Storing Apples

If you are new to raising organic fruits know that they will not look like the perfect specimens in the grocery store. To get that perfection, growers use a lot of chemical pesticides and cover the fruits in a wax coating.

Not only is that not healthy for you it’s bad for the environment. Congratulations on raising healthy organic food!

Different varieties of apples are ready at different times. Each tree will have a typical maturity date. There are summer, fall, and winter maturing apples.

When an apple matures is partly based on the variety and partly based on your climate.

For me, Lodis ripen the earliest in late July, Gala’s in early September, and Granny Smith in late fall.

I try to plan my fruits so that I have a long season of fruits coming in.

Start by examining the apple. Mature apples will be firm, have good coloring, and develop the shape typical for the species.

The best way is to pick fruit and take a bite. Does it taste good? Is the flesh the color and texture it should be?

How to Harvest and Store Apples

Pluck apples from the tree leaving the stem intact. To do this lift the apple upwards and twist. This removes the apple at the spur which keeps infection from entering the tree.

Teach your children this technique so they can go to the orchard and pick a snack whenever they want.

If you plan on storing the apples they should be cooled down quickly. Root cellars and basements work well for storing apples.

The best temperature is around 40 degrees Fahrenheit in a cool but dry room.

Cooking Apples

All of my growing guides contain recipes. Why? Because I love to grow and cook fresh foods from my garden.

Apple Krisp

This is my favorite recipe for Apple Krisp. It comes from the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen. I’ve made a few tweaks over the years

Ingredients:

8-10 medium apples

Lemon juice

2 cups rolled oats

¾ cup flour

½ cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

½ tsp salt

½ cup walnuts

¼ cup sunflower seeds

½ cup orange juice

Method

Pare and slice the apples – I don’t peel but you may wish too

Place in a large mixing bowl and drizzle the lemon juice on them

Melt the butter and pour over the apples

Mix flour, sugar, nuts, seeds, and spices together in a separate bowl

Lay half of the apples in a greased shallow baking pan

Spread with half of the flour mix. It doesn’t really spread. I use a big spoon and sprinkle it over apples

Put on other half of the apples

Sprinkle on remaining flour mix

Pour orange juice over the top

Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees – check frequently to make sure it does not cook too fast. Cover with aluminum foil if edges start to brown before apples are soft.

And I couldn’t leave this article without a fabulous recipe for apple pie!

 Author Ame Vanorio, is the director of Fox Run Environmental Education Center and has 29 years of organic gardening experience.