Apple tree

[blasterooni]

My wife bought me an apple tree for my birthday, a bare root, and I get to choose one: Newtown Pippin, Sierra Beauty, or Gravenstein. There are others, but these three are in the ones from which I'll make a choice. I'm leaning heavy on the Newtown though there are many of these already around town, and gravs are easy to come by, so it might be the Sierra...

 

[dmtaylor]

If I were you I would research which one is the most juicy, which is most productive, and which ones are biennial bearing or not (biennialism is common and annoying -- big crop followed by none at all). Beyond that... I'm sure any of the three would make good cider. Cheers.

 

[wasully]

Why those three varieties? I've no opinion on Sierra Beauty; never heard of it before. Supposedly it's a self fertile all-purpose? Sounds interesting.

Of the single varietals I've had of gravenstein and newtown pippin, I thought the gravenstein was a little more complex and vinous. The newtown pippin was more easy drinking "ale-ish". If you want to do a lot or adjuncts, I think the newtown pippin might be a better canvas. I could quaff the newtown pippin, but sipped the gravenstein.

If you can only have one tree, why not do a multi grafted for some variety to play with + ensuring pollination? A smaller semi dwarf, so it's easily managed. https://raintreenursery.com/fruit-trees/3x1-cider-maker-apple-d-hm-gr-hr-kb-mm106-spring-a8503sc https://raintreenursery.com/fruit-trees/3x1-heritage-apple-wr-ns-rr-np-rb-mm106-spring-a8503sh (3 of the 5 are supposed to be good cider apples, and the johnny appleseed is probable)

When I visited Dragon's Head Cidery a couple months ago, they had bottles of both newtown pippin and gravenstein. This is an excuse to sample from a very fine cidery! They also have a manchurian and columbia crab blended in with dessert fruit-both of those are excellent too. Order one of each, decide what crab you want. Something that can prop up a blend of dessert fruit will take you farther if you're limited by your potential orcharding. I don't know if newtown pippin and gravenstein are it.

I'm also speaking from a drinker's experience, not a grower's. I only put trees in the ground last year, and not those varieties.

 

[madscientist451]

I'd go with the Sierra Beauty, it is an heirloom variety that's supposed to be good for cider and a good yard tree. It was discovered in California and should be well suited to your climate/area. The Newtown Pippin is also a good choice, but may not be quite as good a match for your location, and requires a pollinator tree nearby that blooms at the same time.

 

[blasterooni]

I'd go with the Sierra Beauty, it is an heirloom variety that's supposed to be good for cider and a good yard tree. It was discovered in California and should be well suited to your climate/area. The Newtown Pippin is also a good choice, but may not be quite as good a match for your location, and requires a pollinator tree nearby that blooms at the same time.

I am thinking that the Sierra Beauty is the one to go with as there are plenty of pippins already in the neighborhood that I can pick from, both Newtown and Cox

 

[blasterooni]

Why those three varieties? I've no opinion on Sierra Beauty; never heard of it before. Supposedly it's a self fertile all-purpose? Sounds interesting.

Those are the ones that are available at the nursery she purchased it from (put a hold on for this Saturday). The other varieties available are common dessert apples e.g. fuji, gala, golden d, and red d, there are a few more but I don't recall. The Sierra Beauty is native to California, so I'll likely go with that one. I have a bunch of seedlings that I started too, one of which is from an Arkansas black. Had I a larger yard, I'd get more, plus I live in a rental. At least if and when I ever move away, I know where they are, shoot, I may even dig them up and take them with me

 

[blasterooni]

I'd go with the Sierra Beauty, it is an heirloom variety that's supposed to be good for cider and a good yard tree. It was discovered in California and should be well suited to your climate/area. The Newtown Pippin is also a good choice, but may not be quite as good a match for your location, and requires a pollinator tree nearby that blooms at the same time.

Plus there are tons of pippins in the area, but I haven't come across a Sierra as far as I know. Basically, I see a tree, knock on the door to get permission to pick, grab my bags and go to work picking. I have only got one "no" so far, but the apples were bland and lifeless anyways (she let me pick two; ate one and tossed the other)

 

[madscientist451]

I have a bunch of seedlings that I started too, one of which is from an Arkansas black.

You'd be better off getting some root stock and grafting from trees that you know produce decent apples.
You could raise thousands of seedlings before you hit one that is good.
Also, if you can buy trees grafted on to dwarf root stock, you'll get apples faster compared to a medium or full size tree. It looks like the places that sell the Sierra Beauty all supply it on M-111, which is a medium size tree.
You could plant a strictly cider apple tree, but a multi-purpose apple tree (like the Sierra Beauty) will provide enjoyment for years to come for others when you no longer live there.
Maybe get involved in some urban gardening projects in your area, its possible they would let you plant multi-purpose apple trees if you promised to take care of them.

 

[wasully]

Those are the ones that are available at the nursery she purchased it from (put a hold on for this Saturday). The other varieties available are common dessert apples e.g. fuji, gala, golden d, and red d, there are a few more but I don't recall. The Sierra Beauty is native to California, so I'll likely go with that one. I have a bunch of seedlings that I started too, one of which is from an Arkansas black. Had I a larger yard, I'd get more, plus I live in a rental. At least if and when I ever move away, I know where they are, shoot, I may even dig them up and take them with me

Fair enough!

I wish there were columnar cider apples for similar portability reasons.

 

[Nick Z]

Those are the ones that are available at the nursery she purchased it from (put a hold on for this Saturday). The other varieties available are common dessert apples e.g. fuji, gala, golden d, and red d, there are a few more but I don't recall. The Sierra Beauty is native to California, so I'll likely go with that one. I have a bunch of seedlings that I started too, one of which is from an Arkansas black. Had I a larger yard, I'd get more, plus I live in a rental. At least if and when I ever move away, I know where they are, shoot, I may even dig them up and take them with me

I think that's sound reasoning. Grow what you can't get elsewhere. You have Newtown Pippins in the area and Gravenstein juice isn't impossible to find commercially. Go for the Sierra. Worst case scenario is that it doesn't produce anything very exciting and you can can continue to pick the Pippins around town.

 

[bracconiere]

Had I a larger yard, I'd get more, plus I live in a rental. At least if and when I ever move away, I know where they are, shoot, I may even dig them up and take them with me

damn, i'm not in the climate anymore...but would love to get my shaggy manes back from my old yard....

 

[blasterooni]

You'd be better off getting some root stock and grafting from trees that you know produce decent apples.
You could raise thousands of seedlings before you hit one that is good.
Also, if you can buy trees grafted on to dwarf root stock, you'll get apples faster compared to a medium or full size tree. It looks like the places that sell the Sierra Beauty all supply it on M-111, which is a medium size tree.
You could plant a strictly cider apple tree, but a multi-purpose apple tree (like the Sierra Beauty) will provide enjoyment for years to come for others when you no longer live there.
Maybe get involved in some urban gardening projects in your area, its possible they would let you plant multi-purpose apple trees if you promised to take care of them.

I've thought of that, the urban garden idea that is, as well as guerilla orcharding apples, planting them in traffic circles around Berkeley. People often do it, but I see mostly tree kale in a couple of them

 

[wasully]

I definitely plan on doing some guerilla orcharding this year. Got a location in mind. Glad I'm not alone. Got a couple other locations in mind for the future as well.

 

[madscientist451]

The problem with guerrilla orcharding is your young trees will need water, especially in a somewhat dry climate like California.
I looked up community gardens in the Oakland California area and there are quite a few locations. Organizations like that are always looking for enthusiastic volunteers, and once you get "inside" the group, you can probably plant all kinds of trees as long as you take care of them.

https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/oakland-community-gardening-program

And SF has an urban orchard program, perhaps you could get the same thing going in Oakland?

https://sfenvironment.org/article/m...est-types-of-urban-agriculture/urban-orchards

 

[rickbuddy]

My wife bought me an apple tree for my birthday, a bare root, and I get to choose one: Newtown Pippin, Sierra Beauty, or Gravenstein. There are others, but these three are in the ones from which I'll make a choice. I'm leaning heavy on the Newtown though there are many of these already around town, and gravs are easy to come by, so it might be the Sierra...

Congrats on the tree!

You'll need two trees for cross pollination. You can go with multi-fruit grafting, but you won't get satisfactory production for cider. Consider espalier in a small space. It will take 5 years to get decent production. You can get apples before that, but you won't get many. Transplanting won't be a good idea. Better to plant a new tree in a new location.

 

[blasterooni]

I definitely plan on doing some guerilla orcharding this year. Got a location in mind. Glad I'm not alone. Got a couple other locations in mind for the future as well.

How do you pick a location? It looks like we are in a drought this year in Cali so I have to find places that get water, or I can get water to it

 

[blasterooni]

The problem with guerrilla orcharding is your young trees will need water, especially in a somewhat dry climate like California.
I looked up community gardens in the Oakland California area and there are quite a few locations. Organizations like that are always looking for enthusiastic volunteers, and once you get "inside" the group, you can probably plant all kinds of trees as long as you take care of them.

https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/oakland-community-gardening-program

And SF has an urban orchard program, perhaps you could get the same thing going in Oakland?

https://sfenvironment.org/article/m...est-types-of-urban-agriculture/urban-orchards

Wow! Thanks for doing the leg work for me! I'll definitely look into the Oakland program.
I do see folks out planting trees and so forth around town, both here In Oaktown and Berkeley/Albany. My grandmother was an active member in a garden club back in Michigan. It was fun going out with her on some weekends planting flowers and trees as a kid

 

[wasully]

How do you pick a location?

Chunks of land that have been for sale for a long while, little cabins on old pasture that you know are only seasonally occupied(fishing/hunting cabins, etc). Maybe recent clearcuts? Along long distance walking/rail-trail/river trail type places.

I have a friend on a chunk of acreage who wanted to plant a bunch of fruit trees along their fence. They were happy to let me pick up the expense of a few trees.

It looks like we are in a drought this year in Cali so I have to find places that get water, or I can get water to it

I'm in an especially rainy area of the PNW, so that's less of a worry. Even a drought for us is still unlikely to kill a well established sapling.

 

[blasterooni]

I live in the Bay Area, smack dab in the middle of urbania! Plus it looks like a dry year but I'm happy I have my bare root planted for now

 

[wasully]

Probably easier to find some spots when your town is ~20k people and you're almost a 2 hour drive from a target.

Your regional salaries are higher and economic opportunity is more varied though, I'm sure.

 

[blasterooni]

Probably easier to find some spots when your town is ~20k people and you're almost a 2 hour drive from a target.

Your regional salaries are higher and economic opportunity is more varied though, I'm sure.

Definitely a lot of economic opportunity, even if you are blue collar, probably older blue collar as the youth today are tech bound.

You got me thinking though. I have been eyeing the next door neighbors front yard as a possible spot. Its an apartment building, and the yard is just weeds and wild grass, and they have someone mow it down once or twice a year. It get a ton of sun, and I think a tree would look really nice there. A few years back, the two pepper trees died and were cut down that were on the little strip of land between the sidewalk and street, so I am thinking that maybe, just maybe they would appreciate a tree that was being cared for by someone else. Never hurts to ask.

Then the other house next door isn't a home at all, its a historic house of the first female black politician in California (?) and they use it only for hosting events for women's groups, or something like that. There is an older man who care-takes the place, and is pretty easy going fella. He let the yard go a few years ago when the drought was at its worst. There is a nice spot on the top of the knoll that also get great sunlight, he might let me put a tree in. It would be great to put a crab apple there, the flowers would look nice against the house. But, yeah, a few year out till it gets going I am sure. Just gotta get that "round tuit"

 

[blasterooni]

Shes getting bigger . Starting to think about how to train the branches and whether I'll try a double leader or prune the one on the left. The side of the tree facing the house in the background only has a small branch so I'll have to figure out how to balance it, but that might have to wait unless I notch the back branch to trick it into thinking it's a leader (not uncertain if I'm using the correct term...). From a stick in the ground to a tree, nature is pretty darn cool