AKApples

AKApples A small backyard home apple orchard in Wasilla, Alaska. Growing apples in Alaska for 25 years.

Apple breeding, grafting and selling apple trees, sending out free seeds to encourage others to grow apples from seed to produce new Alaska hardy apples.

06/12/2026

Apple tree leaf samples ready to go out for DNA testing to identify parentage.

A variety of apple leaf samples taken from multiple trees and off to Washington State University for DNA testing. Four t...
06/12/2026

A variety of apple leaf samples taken from multiple trees and off to Washington State University for DNA testing. Four trees are being tested, 2 from our orchard and 2 from elsewhere.

Two Vermont seedlings I’m growing have been tested before (Vermonter and The Jay). They are not known cultivars, but an extensive DNA test will be done to see if they can identify any parentage in their ancestry.

Two other trees not from our orchard will also be tested with a simpler test just to see if they can be identified. One tree is from Mat-Su College, an old tree that originally was planted in Palmer and may have historically significance.

The other tree was found in Anchorage growing on the side of a road. Definitely crabapple genetics (and nice pink flowers) but larger and interesting enough to want to know what it is.

Will be months before the results come back in, something to look forward to for winter.

06/08/2026

Control pollinating Rescue and Trailman apple blossoms today.

Blossoms are out and time to hand pollinate. Due to our very late spring I’m only pollinating some early apples this yea...
06/08/2026

Blossoms are out and time to hand pollinate. Due to our very late spring I’m only pollinating some early apples this year: Rescue, Trailman, Norland. I highly doubt the later apples will ripen this year (hope I’m wrong and we have a very warm, long summer) so don’t want to take the chance and waste pollen.

Pollen was in scarce supply this year so trying it on tried and true early apples makes sense. Trailman takes very well to pollen and they are little seed factories. I have lots of crosses growing with Trailman. Rescue seems harder to take pollen and puts out much fewer seeds than Trailman so this is the one I really want to have some crosses from this year. Norland I do some with, but not as much.

Still a few more to pollinate this week. Also want to try Trailman on Rescue. It’s probably happened before since the trees are close but until I know both seed and pollen parent I can’t know for sure.

06/05/2026

Apple blossoms bagged so I can hand pollinate. Hoping to create some new apples for Alaska

Bagging Rescue, Trailman and Norland blossoms. As these open over the next few days I’ll be able to hand pollinate them ...
06/05/2026

Bagging Rescue, Trailman and Norland blossoms. As these open over the next few days I’ll be able to hand pollinate them so I know both seed and pollen parents. Hopefully adding pollen with some desirable traits will have a positive effect on what will be grown from seed and hopefully good for Alaska.

06/05/2026

Time to bag some Rescue blossoms before the bees get to them. This way I get to decide what pollen they get. Soon time to make some new apple crosses.

06/05/2026

Rescue apple blossoms starting to open

First apple blossoms open are Rescue thanks to the recent heat wave. A bit later than normal but they are picking up mom...
06/05/2026

First apple blossoms open are Rescue thanks to the recent heat wave. A bit later than normal but they are picking up momentum. Should be a sea of white in a few days. Close second is Trailman which could open in a day or two but today belongs to Rescue.

06/04/2026

Juliet cherry blossoms will open in the next couple of days.

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Wasilla, AK
99654

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