Mention Southern apples to many folks—those living here or in more northern climes—and you’ll often hear, “Can you even grow apples in the South?”
Yes, we can. But the apple trees sold at big box stores usually aren’t the types that survive Athens’ heat and humidity.
Tim Mercier, orchardist and owner of Mercier Orchards in Blue Ridge, pointed to the well known Honeycrisp, a Minnesota variety, as a tree antithetical to the Georgia Piedmont’s environment. “It’s got no business growing well in Georgia,” he said. Mercier and other orchardists, heirloom apple curators, historians, farmers and gardeners recently gathered for a day of pomology focused on Southern heirloom apples at the State Botanical Garden in Athens.
European domesticated apples grew in the South—eaten, cared for and bred with native crab apples by white, Indigenous and enslaved Black people for hundreds of years. Families kept their favorite trees alive through grafting techniques, passing down grandmother’s favorite baking apple or jelly apple for generations. Nearly all landholders grew some apple trees to make the ubiquitous drink of the time, cider.
Southern apple diversity waned in the 1800s with the temperance movement, the Indian Removal Act and as improved transportation brought cheap apples from across the nation. For more about the history of Southern apples, read Diane Flynt’s Wild, Tamed, Lost, Revived: The Surprising Story of Apples in the South.
Despite its Northern heritage, Honeycrisp saplings are for sale locally and could look like a good choice for a gardener. Instead, investigate regional plant purveyors, particularly those dealing in heirloom apples for a home orchard.
No space for trees? You can still taste some of the Southeast’s heirloom apples at regional orchards this summer and fall—varieties that can’t be found on grocery store shelves and offer a wide selection of flavors, uses and appearances. Mercier Orchards sells apples and apple products, like cider, year-round. Other Georgia heirloom apple sites aren’t regularly open to the public, but visiting James Creek Orchards in Cameron, NC or Horne Creek Farm in Pinnacle, NC could make a fun, overnight apple-filled adventure.
For admiring a local collection of these old-timey Southern apples, check out the Georgia Heirloom Apple Collection curated by Gareth Crosby at the State Botanical Garden this year. I visit the Botanical Garden at least once a year to try and mimic the pruning and growing techniques I see on display.
If you want to grow apple trees in your yard, you’ll need at least two trees (apple flowers can’t pollinate themselves) that bloom at the same time. Look for disease-resistant varieties. Like tomatoes and strawberries, the heat and humidity can wreak havoc on an apple variety unprepared for a Southern summer. You likely also will want to explore the difference between full-sized, semi-dwarf and dwarf varieties for your yard. A smaller tree can allow a grower to fit more trees, but less growth also means less vigor and ability to bounce back as quickly after an injury, infection or infestation. I have semi-dwarf trees in my tiny orchard, and I like the balance between sturdiness and size. Any apple tree you plant will require patience—it’ll be five or more years before there’s any fruit for picking.
My current collection includes Jonagold, Mutsu, Golden Delicious, Gala, Winesap and Granny Smith. Don’t copy that list. I bought and planted those five years ago, when I first moved to Oglethorpe County. I picked the varieties the seller suggested for the South, generally those with the fewest chill hours. Peach and apple trees remain dormant until reaching a fixed number of cumulative hours below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, they start to come out of dormancy, break buds and unfurl leaves. Plant a tree with too few chill hours in the North, and the buds will freeze off the trees during a late frost. Attempt to grow a tree with too many chill hours in the South, and it will miss the signal for spring growth.
I’ll keep the Winesap, but the Granny Smith and Golden Delicious aren’t thriving in their current environment. I’ll try to replace them with something heirloom and stubborn, like the Horse apple tree, a variety that nurseries in the 1800s didn’t even sell because most everyone already had them in their yard. Heirloom doesn’t mean the plant will grow better, but it does give growers a larger selection of genetics to find a better match for their environment.
If you’re in the market for an heirloom apple tree, check out specialty nurseries like Century Farm Orchards in North Carolina, the spring plant sale at the State Botanical Garden or nearby orchards that will occasionally sell heirloom saplings.
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