NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – They’re the most familiar of fruits, but how much do you really know about apples?
Apples (Malus domestica) are members of the rose family (Rosaceae). So are crabapples, pears, apricots and cherries.
If looking for a native apple tree, apples aren’t native to the Americas. They originated in Kazakhstan, in central Asia and eastern Europe about 6,500 years ago.
Apples came to America with the first colonists, who carried young trees and seeds from home. Unlike today’s apples, they were likely smaller and not so pleasant tasting. Even so, apples became a staple in the American diet with many being pressed to make cider. Hard cider was regularly consumed at meals. It was a safer alternative at a time when water supplies often carried disease due to poor sanitary practices.
Apples moved westward along with settlers, including the man many know as Johnny Appleseed. He was born Jonathan Chapman in 1774 in Leominster, Mass., and apprenticed as an apple orchardist. Chapman collected seeds from cider presses, planting orchards as he traveled.
The quality of apples from those trees was unpredictable and usually poor. Sometimes, though, apple trees grown from seed produced unexpectedly good results that led to the varieties we’re familiar with today.
Trying to grow an apple tree from seed will yield disappointing results. Apple trees don’t grow true from seed, so the fruit won’t be the same as the source of the seeds. For this reason, apple trees today are rarely grown from seed.
Ancient Romans used grafting to propagate apples and brought the technique with them as the empire expanded. By grafting a cutting from the parent tree (called the “scion”) to the rootstock of another, an apple tree can be grown that will bear the same fruit as the parent plant. Today, all commercially sold apple trees are produced by grafting.
Since most apple trees aren’t self-fertile, you’ll need to plant at least two different varieties for the trees to produce fruit. Crabapple trees can also be used as pollenizers. While some varieties such as Golden Delicious are self-pollinating, having another pollenizer can produce a larger crop.
The American crabapple (Malus coronaria) is native to North America, while the European crabapple (Malus sylvestris) is native to Europe and western Asia. Crabapples are generally smaller than two inches while apples are larger.
There are more than 7,500 varieties of apples grown around the world. In the United States, more than 2,500 varieties are grown, though less than a dozen make up the majority of apples available on grocery market shelves. Gala, Granny Smith and Golden Delicious are among the most popular apples.
While apples grow throughout the United States, Washington grows the most apples, about 160 million bushels each year. Vermont produces about a million bushels annually.
Depending on the variety and growing conditions, an apple tree can take up to 10 years to produce fruit. That tree can have a life span of 100 years.
It takes about 40 apples to make a gallon of cider. Hard cider is fermented, unfiltered apple juice.
Apples are a good source of fiber and antioxidants and contain no fat or cholesterol.
To grow apples, go to go.uvm.edu/tree-fruit.
Deborah J. Benoit is a UVM Extension Master Gardener from North Adams, Mass., who is part of the Bennington County Chapter.
Deborah J. Benoit
