Name: Apple Tree (Northern Spy) | Apple
SKU: Apple Tree (Northern Spy)
Availability: InStock

Apple Tree (Northern Spy)

Northern Spy is a 19th-century American heirloom with a crisp, juicy, balanced sweet-tart flavor, equally at home eaten fresh, baked, or pressed for cider.

A parent of many modern apple varieties
Excellent for fresh eating, baking and cider
Ripens in late season, October into November
Self-sterile; flowering group 5, needs a late-blooming pollinator
Stores for months in a cool place

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Ships late January to February Bare-root pre-order: we ship when the trees are dormant, timed for your region.

SKU: Apple Tree (Northern Spy) Categories: Apple, Fruit Trees Tag: online

Description

Northern Spy is a 19th-century American heirloom valued for a crisp, juicy apple with a balanced sweet-tart flavor, equally suited to fresh eating, baking and cider. It has long stood as a parent behind many modern commercial apples.

The fruit is prized for how well it keeps, holding in storage for three months or more, longer than most apples.

Overview

Balanced sweet-tart flavor, crisp and juicy
Excellent fresh eating, baking and cider apple
Late-season ripening, long storage life
Self-sterile; flowering group 5
American heirloom, parent of many modern apples

Growing Details

Latin Name: Malus domestica ‘Northern Spy’
Site and Soil: Full sun; well-drained soil
Chill Requirement: Estimated 1,000 hours
Hardiness:Hardy to USDA Zone 4
Rootstock: M-106 (semi-dwarf)
Bearing Age: 1 to 3 years
Size at Maturity: 12-15′ tall and wide – easily maintained smaller with pruning.
Flowering Group: Group 5 (late bloom)
Ripening Time: Late season; October into November
Pollination: Self-sterile; needs another late-blooming apple nearby
Pests & Diseases: Susceptible to scab, fire blight and cedar-apple rust; benefits from routine spray care
Yield: Heavy producer once mature

Additional Notes

Grower’s Insight: Northern Spy can run biennial without thinning, so thin in a heavy year and the reward is fruit that stores for months.
Regional Insight: Cold hardiness and a long-keeping late crop suit the Northeast, Upper Midwest and other cold-winter regions especially well.
Explore more apple trees in our collection: Apple Trees

Planting & Care

At a Glance – Northern Spy Apple

Sun: Full sun
Soil: Well-drained soil
Water: Moderate; consistent moisture during establishment
Size: 12-15′ tall and wide, easily kept smaller
Pollination: Self-sterile; plant a late-blooming partner
Harvest: Late season (October into November)
Hardiness:Hardy to USDA Zone 4

Planting & Care – Northern Spy Apple

Site Selection

Choose a full-sun site with room for a large, spreading canopy.
Good airflow supports strong fruit finish through a long season.

Soil Preparation

Plant in deep, well-drained soil.
Improve drainage or plant on a slight mound in heavy soils.

Planting Instructions

Dig a hole twice the width of the root system.
Plant with the root flare at or just above soil level.
Backfill with native soil and water thoroughly.
Mulch 2 to 3 inches deep, keeping mulch away from the trunk.

Watering & Fertilizing

Water consistently during the first one to two years.
Once established, water deeply during dry periods.

Pollination

Northern Spy is self-sterile and needs another late-blooming apple nearby.
Choose a partner with an overlapping, late bloom time.

Pruning & Training

Train to a central leader with an open center for light.
Prune in late winter to maintain structure and airflow.
Thin fruit after a heavy bloom to even out yearly bearing.

Harvest & Use

Harvest October into November, once fruit parts easily from the branch.
Fruit stores three months or more, longer than most apples.

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